A total of 8.70 hectares (21.50 acres) at the Battle Site has been surveyed using archaeogeophysical methods. The corpus of anomalies detected in the archaeogeophysical work include those of (a) recent cultural origin (e.g., indicating scattered metallic debris, incising/erosion of the landscape as a result of agricultural processes, and the remains of a long demolished tenant structure); (b) anomalies interpreted to be of prehistoric cultural origin (e.g., representing rectangular and circular structures and associated pits and hearths, a possible large community cemetery, evidence of a possible compound fence surrounding a Caddo farmstead, and the remains of a borrow pit); and (c) anomalies originating from natural processes (e.g., lightning strikes, a sequence of Red River meander scars, and evidence of a modern flood channel) (McKinnon 2008, 2009a, 2009b; McKinnon and Brandon 2009).

        The many anomalies of prehistoric, recent, and natural origin identified at the Battle Mound site provide a broad consideration of Caddo settlement organization at this important Caddo civic and ceremonial center, while also contributing toward a holistic understanding of the spatial orientation of the cultural and natural anomalies at the Battle Mound site over time.



References Cited:
McKinnon, Duncan P.
2009a Exploring Settlement Patterning at a Premier Caddo Mound Site in the Red River Great Bend Region. Southeastern Archaeology, 28(2): 248-258.
2009b Continuing the Research: Archaeogeophysical Investigations at the Battle Mound Site (3LA1) in Lafayette County, Arkansas. Manuscript on file, Arkansas Archeological Survey, Fayetteville, Arkansas. (article submitted to Southeastern Archaeology, in review)
2008 An Archaeogeophysical Analysis of Central Caddo Settlement Patterning at Battle Mound (3LA1). Unpublished Master's thesis, Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

McKinnon, Duncan P. and Jamie C. Brandon
2009 A Report From the Field: Archaeogeophysical Results from Battle Mound (3LA1). Field Notes: Newsletter of the Arkansas Archeological Society, 348: 9-12.

rev. 11/09