The Athena (Archaeological) Site
Click upon the graphic, immediately above, for the full "Athena Site" archaeological document.
"THE ATHENA SITE" (Sfd 1-2)
by Ernest A. Wiegand II
Norwalk Community College
"The Bulletin," a publication of the
New York State Archaeological Association
November 1978 Number 74
Introduction
The Athena site is a multi - component site of the Late Archaic and Woodland periods situated on the west side of Lake Kitchawan, in the Town of Pound Ridge, New York. Located in the northeastern corner of the property of Mr. Thomas Rizzo, the site was discovered in June, 1973, by Robin Geller and Ernest A. Wiegand II after examination of recently bulldozed soil. Previous construction work had uncovered a Late Archaic site of the Sylvan Lake complex in the southwestern corner of the property (Wiegand, 1977). A
decision was made to excavate a portion of the site when it was learned that further landscaping was planned for the near future. A further consideration that led to this decision was the fact that, although there are numerous surface collections from the immediate area, no controlled excavations had ever been conducted at Lake Kitchawan, which has been steadily developed over the past thirty years. Permission to conduct fieldwork was granted by Mr. Rizzo, and in late June, excavation was begun by a volunteer crew working under the author's direction. In October of 1973, students from Norwalk Community College of Norwalk, Connecticut, aided in the fieldwork as part of an independent studies program offered by Olivia Vlahos, assistant professor of anthropology at the College. Excavation was continued for a short time in spring, 1974,
under the sponsorship of the Norwalk Community College Archaeology Club.
Setting
The site is situated on a gentle slope overlooking the west side of Lake Kitchawan, a natural, spring-fed lake with numerous adjoining marshlands, one of which forms the eastern boundary of the site. The lake is approximately 520 ft. above mean sea level, and the site, 750 ft. to the west, is about 560 ft. above mean sea level.
At present, the area surrounding the lake is composed of several different microenvironments. The lake and marshes support a rich variety of fish, water - fowl, reptiles, and mammals; dense stands of maple, beech, ash, tuliptree, hickory and oak are found in the undeveloped areas surrounding the lake. Most of the broader expanses of level land are characterized by open fields or second growth mixed hardwood forest; dry stone walls crisscross most of these areas, attesting to their use as farmland in the 18th and 19th centuries. With few exceptions, most bird and mammal species that inhabited the area in prehistoric times are still present. Cougars have been reported in the area in recent years (Phalen, 1976: 28), as well as an increase in many other species that thrive on the edge area effect created by modern land use. Outcroppings of bedrock are frequent and in some cases extensive. A special attraction of the Athena site to prehistoric peoples may well have been a small spring located several yards north of the excavation area (Figure 1)...
(Click upon the graphic, above, for the full "Athena Site" document.)
by Ernest A. Wiegand II
Norwalk Community College
"The Bulletin," a publication of the
New York State Archaeological Association
November 1978 Number 74
Introduction
The Athena site is a multi - component site of the Late Archaic and Woodland periods situated on the west side of Lake Kitchawan, in the Town of Pound Ridge, New York. Located in the northeastern corner of the property of Mr. Thomas Rizzo, the site was discovered in June, 1973, by Robin Geller and Ernest A. Wiegand II after examination of recently bulldozed soil. Previous construction work had uncovered a Late Archaic site of the Sylvan Lake complex in the southwestern corner of the property (Wiegand, 1977). A
decision was made to excavate a portion of the site when it was learned that further landscaping was planned for the near future. A further consideration that led to this decision was the fact that, although there are numerous surface collections from the immediate area, no controlled excavations had ever been conducted at Lake Kitchawan, which has been steadily developed over the past thirty years. Permission to conduct fieldwork was granted by Mr. Rizzo, and in late June, excavation was begun by a volunteer crew working under the author's direction. In October of 1973, students from Norwalk Community College of Norwalk, Connecticut, aided in the fieldwork as part of an independent studies program offered by Olivia Vlahos, assistant professor of anthropology at the College. Excavation was continued for a short time in spring, 1974,
under the sponsorship of the Norwalk Community College Archaeology Club.
Setting
The site is situated on a gentle slope overlooking the west side of Lake Kitchawan, a natural, spring-fed lake with numerous adjoining marshlands, one of which forms the eastern boundary of the site. The lake is approximately 520 ft. above mean sea level, and the site, 750 ft. to the west, is about 560 ft. above mean sea level.
At present, the area surrounding the lake is composed of several different microenvironments. The lake and marshes support a rich variety of fish, water - fowl, reptiles, and mammals; dense stands of maple, beech, ash, tuliptree, hickory and oak are found in the undeveloped areas surrounding the lake. Most of the broader expanses of level land are characterized by open fields or second growth mixed hardwood forest; dry stone walls crisscross most of these areas, attesting to their use as farmland in the 18th and 19th centuries. With few exceptions, most bird and mammal species that inhabited the area in prehistoric times are still present. Cougars have been reported in the area in recent years (Phalen, 1976: 28), as well as an increase in many other species that thrive on the edge area effect created by modern land use. Outcroppings of bedrock are frequent and in some cases extensive. A special attraction of the Athena site to prehistoric peoples may well have been a small spring located several yards north of the excavation area (Figure 1)...
(Click upon the graphic, above, for the full "Athena Site" document.)
