Feature 1 at Dark Hollow, A Mississippian House

The house boundary was determined by the presence of burned clay and compacted soil, covering an area approximately 4-x-3 m² in size. Although charcoal was scattered across the floor of the structure, it was most heavily concentrated in the southeast corner of the house (Figure 1). No wall trenches and only a few ephemeral post molds were recorded in the field (Figure 2), indicating the house may have been open on some sides, or arbor-style. A central hearth was exposed, Feature 2. The hearth was 60 cm in diameter and horseshoe-shaped. Several partial ceramic vessels were recovered from the hearth as well as a quartz crystal.

A total of 172 sherds were found inside the structure, including examples of Mississippi Plain (n=76). A total of 84 sherds belonged to vessels that had applique strips around the outer shoulder of otherwise simple or slightly restricted shell-tempered bowls. Two of these appliqué vessels also had rim effigies of undetermined shape. Of these two appliqué/effigy vessels, one also reflected pinched ridges in a curvilinear design which is atypical for the region (Figure 3a). Burnished, finely shell-tempered sherds (Bell Plain) were also recovered from the hearth area of the house. However, the location of the majority of the sherds were in the north/northwest area of the house floor. There was possibly vessel storage in this area that would have burned when the house burned.

Ceramics recovered from the floor of the house represent a minimum of seven partial vessels, including simple bowls, and two possible carinated jars. Simple bowls had orifice diameters ranging from 18 cm to 31 cm in size, or were medium to large and likely used to prepare and serve food. It is possible that storage jars were removed from the house before it was burned, accounting for the lack of jars in the ceramic assemblage. However, when considering the complete vessel assemblage, including bowls with appliqué strips and effigies, an unusual decorative technique in the form of curvilinear ridge pinching, and some burnishing, it is possible the assemblage was special-purpose and does strictly represent domestic or residential refuse.

A sample of debitage was examined from the central portion of the house, specifically from test units 6 and 7. The lithic assemblage was dominated by small chert flakes recovered from between 10–20 cm beneath the ground surface or just above the house floor (Figure 4). Novaculite, quartz, and sandstone were also identified in the assemblage indicating access to non-local stone. There was only a single core identified in the sample, indicating that early stage reduction was not taking place inside the house intensively.

In summary, the fifteenth century structure from Dark Hollow has some unusual characteristics, including a lack of wall trenches more typical of Mississippian houses in the Mississippi River floodplain, a ceramic assemblage dominated by medium to large bowls with appliqué strips, and a lithic assemblage that indicates tool re-sharpening rather than primary reduction and access to nonlocal stone. The presence of a central hearth suggests a permanent structure, although perhaps more open in design. Furthermore, the distribution of charcoal, including some partially intact beams (Figure 5), indicates a substantial roof element. Feature 1 at Dark Hollow demonstrates variability in Mississippian houses in Arkansas, and suggests that different site types with different types of architectural elements may characterize the Arkansas River Valley landscape.