Middle Archaic Occupations at the Edging Site, St. Clair County, Illinois

Decades of archaeological research in the American Bottom of western Illinois has produced one of the most robust regional chronologies in the Midwest, but, until recently, a long span dating to the Middle Archaic was largely devoid of information. Investigations at the Edging site encountered dozens of pit features, from which eleven radiocarbon assays were recovered, representing multiple Middle Archaic occupations. Based on the data from this site, we propose that the current Tep complex be identified as a phase in the American Bottom culture sequence, and we are extending the Falling Springs phase farther into the past than previously recognized. Our results suggest that the site, and perhaps the American Bottom in general, was intermittently occupied and served as a buffer for populations with more stable residences in surrounding areas during much of the Middle Archaic period.