The Nobles Pond Project maintains a dedicated archaeology lab at Kent State University, Stark county campus, in North Canton, Ohio. This lab provides the space needed for storing and studying over 55,000 artifacts recovered from the Nobles Pond site.
Lab work is typically the longest phase of an archaeological project. The analysis and reporting of the artifacts recovered during the fieldwork phase usually requires much longer than the actual digging. But discoveries made in the lab are just as exciting in some ways as discoveries made in the field.
In the lab, we analyze artifacts, discuss results, and prepare reports on our findings. We also have an extensive refit program, where we attempt to find and rejoin pieces of artifacts in our collection.
Refit Program
Putting pieces of stone back together is a challenging task, but it can provide insights about how tools were manufactured, used, broken, and repaired. The Nobles Pond Project has one of the largest refit programs of any Paleoindian site anywhere. Our refit program attempts to fit together tens of thousands of tool fragments and (often tiny) waste flakes created from tool manufacturing and resharpening. To date, we have successfully rejoined hundreds of pieces, giving us a deeper knowledge of Paleoindian activities and tool strategies at the Nobles Pond site.
Database Operation
Both artifact collection data and analysis results are entered into a database on the lab's computer. The database's Catalog contains the basic collection and attribute data on the 53,425 numbered pieces in the collection. The database also contains data characterizing each of over 11,000 square meters of the Nobles Pond site, which includes both the meters excavated (5,865) and all the meters where artifacts were found on the surface and measured in. Additional detailed data are provided for some tool types such as end scrapers and side scrapers.
The project staff draw on this database for writing reports about the Nobles Pond site and its artifacts.
Report Writing
The ultimate goal of the Nobles Pond Project is to publish reports and articles that help build a more complete picture of the Paleoindians and their daily lives. To this end, we always have a report or article in progress.
We have already published a number of reports. See our bibliography.
Join Our Team!
While people can no longer dig or surface collect at the Nobles Pond site (fieldwork ended in 1997), we are still looking for people to work with us in the lab. We need volunteers to help us with the refit program, share computer/ database duties, and assist with the management of artifacts and records. No prior experience is needed. If you are interested in helping us in the lab, you can contact me (Paul Barans) through the following email address:
paul.barans@gmail.com
Or contact me by phone:
330.546.5728
Or Just Visit Us
Did you find something that might be a Native American artifact? We will gladly take a look at it and help you identify it. We also enjoy seeing colonial-era antiques.
Contact us at the email or phone listed above to arrange a visit to the lab.
