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North Carolina History Digital Textbook Project

Excavating Occaneechi Town: An archaeology primer

From the UNC Research Laboratories of Archaeology

25 A wall-trench structure

Excavators at Occaneechi Town preparing to map a wall-trench structure -- a structure showing where the posts supporting the wall and roof were placed.

Preparing to map a wall-trench structure and associated pit at Occaneechi Town. (Photograph courtesy of Research Laboratories of Archaeology. More about the photograph)

Here’s another kind of structure. Note that the wall is marked by a continuous circular stain, rather than by individual post holes. This sort of stain indicates a wall trench, into which the posts supporting the wall and roof were placed. This wall was probably much heavier than that of a regular house. Also note the big feature in the center of the house. When excavated, this turned out to be a fire pit, full of charcoal and burned rocks.