Understanding Northeastern Plains Village sites through archaeological geophysics

The archaeologically defined Northeastern Plains Village Complex (NEPV), centered in the American Great Plains has been a problem for archaeologists because of an inability to recognize buried cultural features, particularly those relating to house structures. Elsewhere in the Great Plains magnetics and earth resistance had been shown effective methods, which was applied at two NEPV sites in North Dakota. Those geophysical methods were combined with down-hole magnetic susceptibility as a way to identify and interpret multiple fortified ditches, circular house structures and a possible bastion at two prehistoric villages dating from ad 1400 to 1500. This information shows that these people occupied these sites seasonally, but were still threatened enough to construct defensive structures during a period of conflict in the area. The geophysical surveys highlight the advantages of combining these techniques in NEPV site discovery and evaluation