Estimation of WPA Artifact Collection Bias in the East Village at Angel Mounds
Joel Michael Marshall, Anthony Michal Krus · Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology · 2013
The East Village is a densely occupied area spanning 5,700 m2 on the eastern edge of Angel Mounds. The Works Project Administration (WPA) conducted excavations at the East Village from 1939 through 1942. In 2010, the northern boundary of the WPA East Village excavations was relocated, and artifacts were discovered in the excavation backfill. To estimate artifact collection bias during the WPA excavations at Angel Mounds, a sample of backfill was screened and the number and type of artifacts were identified and recorded. From this analysis, it appears that approximately 80 percent of pottery sherds and flakes discovered during WPA-era excavations at Angel Mounds were collected for curation.