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grooved types, by contrast, are not found in any sites north of the Yazoo Basin and eastward they occur only at Tick Island, in a very few specimens.
Finally, during the past year we have also take note of some unusual and distinctive PPO types in different regions of the southeast. All of the PPOs discussed below are very well formed and distinctive types that more than likely served some function other than as cooking elements, which is the presumed function of most PPOs. (Slide 34-Swirled PPOs) First, the Tick Island site in northeast Florida has two objects that have swirling designs on their top, along with tick marks that extend from the top onto the sides. Interestingly, their matrix contains abundant sponge spicules, like the St Johns pottery at the site. The only comparable artifact that we have observed is a single PPO at Poverty Point that also has a swirling design on the top and tick marks that extend onto its side. This artifact is made of the silty matrix typical of PPOs at the site. While the designs of the Tick Island artifacts and the Poverty Point artifact are not identical, the similarities are intriguing.
(Slide 35-Grooved/twisted PPOs) Second, we also took note of some highly unusual and well-made PPOs from Claiborne that we have not observed in any other site collection. They have a cylindrical shape with flat tops and bottoms, well-formed twists on the side, and are completely perforated. The closest common PPO type is the melon with grooves on the side, some of which are twisted. The PPOs in the upper part of the slide are much better crafted than typical PPOs and probably were used for something other than cooking. (Slide 36-Unusual West Tenn. PPOs again) Third, as noted earlier, the fabric-marked and cane-punctated PPOs found in west Tennessee also are present only at the Poverty Point site.
During the coming year, we will be working towards summary publications on our research efforts. In addition, we will conduct thin sections of PPOs from the Clarksville or Kelly site located just across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky, at the Falls of the Ohio.
(Slide 37-Sam Brookes) Finally, this paper would not be complete without some reference to Sam Brookes, who we honor today with this symposium. Sam, now that you’re retiring, we were wondering if you might be available to help us in our search for some of the more elusive forms of PPOs. Perhaps you could aid us