Refuse Disposal and Military Behavior at Fort Meigs,a War of 1812 Military Site in Northern Ohio: An Intrasite Analysis

Abstract

Schiffer (1972, 1976) and South (1977) have discussed the interpretative implications of various types of cultural refuse which are created during the occupation and abandonment of a site. Excavation at Fort Meigs has allowed the investigation of refuse disposal practices associated with the occupation of the main fortified camp and a smaller supply fort which was built within the larger fort after its deactivation. The material record at Fort Meigs is quantified and compared against South's Frontier and Carolina Artifact patterns and the Brunswick Pattern of Refuse Disposal. An attempt is made to show how the various types of discard, loss, and abandonment activities condition the archaeological record and influence South's artifact and disposal patterns.

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