Mummy Cave
Encyclopedia
Mummy Cave is a rock shelter
and archeological site
in Park County, Wyoming
, United States
, near the eastern entrance to Yellowstone National Park
. The site is adjacent to the concurrent
U.S. Routes 14
/16
/20
, on the left bank of the North Fork of the Shoshone River
at an altitude of 6310 feet (1,923.3 m).
At its mouth, the cave is approximately 150 feet (45.7 m) wide, and it extends approximately 40 feet (12.2 m) into a volcanic cliff above the North Fork. It lies along the left bank of the river, next to the mouth of a small stream and opposite from the mouth of Blackwater Creek. The largest known cave along the North Fork, it is believed to have been carved by the river's flow; the reason for its diversion away from the alcove is unknown.
Mummy Cave was occupied between 7280 BC and AD 1580. Discovered by Cody resident Gene Smith in 1957, it was first studied in 1962 and excavated by the Buffalo Bill Historical Center
. The site includes unusual amounts of perishable materials such as hide, feathers and wood, as well as the buried and mummified
remains of an inhabitant, named by researchers "Mummy Joe," and dated to about 800 AD. The cave is notable for the depth of its cultural deposits, extending over 28 feet (8.5 m) in depth, and in particular for the continuity of those deposits. The deposits have been classified into 38 occupation levels that represent at least seasonal use of the site on an annual basis, extending from the Paleoindian period to the late Prehistoric
period.
. The cliff is composed of Tertiary
period volcanic ash
mixed with larger rock fragments
of volcanic origin. A similar alcove is presently being cut by the Shoshone at the mouth of Clocktower Creek. The cave fill has accumulated for at least 10,000 years and appears to have originated from nearby debris fans
formed where weathered material has flowed down channels in neighboring cliffs.
Apart from the depth and consistent nature of the alluvium, Mummy Cave is also characterized by extreme dryness. The pointed shape of the cliff above prevents rain and meltwater from percolating through the rock to the cave, and there are no vertical joints in the rock above.
. Once the layers of alluvium in the cave floor were established, the excavation proceeded layer by layer. The excavations terraced the cave floor into 4 to 6 ft (1.2 to 1.8 m) levels, following the established reference grid. Digging was done with hand trowels in the artifact-bearing layers while layers devoid of artifacts were excavated with shovels. Spoils were disposed of down the embankment.
The site had previously been disturbed by relic hunters, who had dug a 2.5 foot (0.762 m) deep pit in what turned out to be the most productive zone of the excavation. The relic hunters appear to have stopped when they encountered a rock cairn that covered what proved to be a human burial site.
By the end of 1963 a portion of the site had been excavated to a depth of 20 feet (6.1 m) and shored with timbers, while the upper three cultural zones (layers 36–38) were removed across the site. During the 1964 season layers 29–35 were removed and some zones were excavated much more deeply. In 1965 layers 24–28 were removed from the central area of the alcove. By this time it was clear that excavation would proceed for the full depth of the site, and that the disposal of a considerable quantity of excavated debris would need to be addressed. A bulldozer was brought in to remove sections of fill beyond the drip line of the shelter. The 1966 season was directed by Wilfred M. Husted. Results of the Mummy Cave investigations were published in Science
in 1968.
, which span a period of over 9000 years. The artifacts were disposed in a manner that permitted dating in both relative terms through stratigraphy, as well as through radiocarbon dating
to establish an absolute scale. This continuum has proved to be invaluable in relating and dating other excavations in the Rocky Mountain region. In particular, the stone projectile point
s found at Mummy Cave have been used to set the standard for classifying stone arrowheads and spear heads in the region. The point typology has been extrapolated to define cultural and commercial relationships between peoples throughout the American West. Stratigraphy and carbon dating indicate that Mummy Cave was first occupied near the end of the Pinedale glaciation. Later occupancy spanned the Altithermal
, followed by a cooler climate from about 1000 BC.
The earliest layers at Mummy Cave yielded a few prismatic stone blades
dating to about 7300 BC. Several layers contained no artifacts and were defined by soot layers. By layer 6 the first parallel-oblique points appeared. By Layer 8, roughly corresponding to 6500 BC, the cultural evidence became continuous. Layers 8, 9, 10 and 12 produced lanceolate
or leaf-shaped projectile points which have been interpreted as corresponding to Angostura-style points. This implies that the inhabitants of Mummy Cave during this era were big-game hunters from the Great Plains
who adapted to the mountain environment. In layer 16, radiocarbon dated to 5630 BC, a new type of point appeared. These Blackwater side-notched points implied the arrival of a group from eastern Nebraska
or western Iowa
, replacing the previous group which may have moved to the north. The presence of such points suggests a connection with the Simonsen Site in northeastern Iowa, which has been dated to the Early Archaic period. This transition coincided with the climatic shift to the Altithermal. Side-notched points recovered from layers 21, 24 and 28 imply a return of the previous inhabitants; the easterners had moved on to the central Columbian Plateau.
Layer 30 was dated to 2470±150 BC. Layer 32 was dated to 870±135 BC. It is hypothesized that layers 32–38 represent the presence of people of the Shoshonean
culture, with increasingly definitive Shoshonean artifacts present from layer 36 onward, including cordage and basketwork. Layer 38 yielded gray flat-bottomed pottery of Shoshonean manufacture. Layer 36 is notable as the source of the "mummy." The desiccated
body of an adult male wearing a sheepskin garment with fur and feather ornament was recovered from this layer and dated to about 770 AD by radiocarbon dating.
Several thousand animal bones were discovered in Mummy Cave. While the large majority of the bones could not be identified, researchers at the University of Texas at El Paso
(UTEP) were able to determine the biological origins of over two thousand bones. As at many other archeological sites in the region, significant numbers of Bighorn Sheep
(Ovis canadensis) and deer
from the genus Odocoileus
were identified. Of particular interest to biologists was the much larger number of sheep than deer: eighty-eight sheep and fifteen deer were identified. Such a prevalence of sheep over deer is highly unusual for archeological sites in the region, because deer are equally or more plentiful in areas such as the one in which Mummy Cave is located. This anomaly has led researchers at UTEP to propose that the site was used as a home base for hunters to operate at higher altitudes.
The wide range of artifacts discovered at the site has caused Mummy Cave to be seen as a highly significant site for the study of Rocky Mountain archeology. The cave's significance was recognized by the National Park Service
with its placement on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1981.
Rock shelter
A rock shelter is a shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff....
and archeological site
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
in Park County, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, near the eastern entrance to Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
. The site is adjacent to the concurrent
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
U.S. Routes 14
U.S. Route 14
U.S. Route 14 , an east–west route, is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It currently has a length of 1,398 miles , but it had a peak length of 1,429 miles . For much of its length, it runs roughly parallel to Interstate 90.As of 2004, the highway's eastern terminus is in...
/16
U.S. Route 16
U.S. Route 16 is an east–west United States Highway between Rapid City, South Dakota and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming....
/20
U.S. Route 20
U.S. Route 20 is an east–west United States highway. As the "0" in its route number implies, US 20 is a coast-to-coast route. Spanning , it is the longest road in the United States, and the route sparsely parallels Interstate 90...
, on the left bank of the North Fork of the Shoshone River
Shoshone River
The Shoshone River is long river in northern Wyoming in the United States. Its headwaters are in the Absaroka Range in Shoshone National Forest. It ends when it runs into the Big Horn River near Lovell, Wyoming. Cities it runs near or through are Cody, Powell, Byron, and Lovell. Near Cody, it...
at an altitude of 6310 feet (1,923.3 m).
At its mouth, the cave is approximately 150 feet (45.7 m) wide, and it extends approximately 40 feet (12.2 m) into a volcanic cliff above the North Fork. It lies along the left bank of the river, next to the mouth of a small stream and opposite from the mouth of Blackwater Creek. The largest known cave along the North Fork, it is believed to have been carved by the river's flow; the reason for its diversion away from the alcove is unknown.
Mummy Cave was occupied between 7280 BC and AD 1580. Discovered by Cody resident Gene Smith in 1957, it was first studied in 1962 and excavated by the Buffalo Bill Historical Center
Buffalo Bill Historical Center
The Buffalo Bill Historical Center is a complex of museums displaying artifacts and art of the American West located in Cody, Wyoming. Founded in 1917, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center is the oldest museum in the West...
. The site includes unusual amounts of perishable materials such as hide, feathers and wood, as well as the buried and mummified
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
remains of an inhabitant, named by researchers "Mummy Joe," and dated to about 800 AD. The cave is notable for the depth of its cultural deposits, extending over 28 feet (8.5 m) in depth, and in particular for the continuity of those deposits. The deposits have been classified into 38 occupation levels that represent at least seasonal use of the site on an annual basis, extending from the Paleoindian period to the late Prehistoric
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
period.
Geology
Although it is referred to as a "cave", Mummy Cave is actually a broad, shallow alcove in a vertical cliff. It owes its depth to its overall size and the stability of the parent rock. The alcove's roof is about 50 feet (15.2 m) above the river, with the rock floor of the alcove at about 4 feet (1.2 m) above the river. By the time it was discovered, the alcove had been almost entirely filled with alluviumAlluvium
Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediments, eroded, deposited, and reshaped by water in some form in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel...
. The cliff is composed of Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
period volcanic ash
Tuff
Tuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
mixed with larger rock fragments
Breccia
Breccia is a rock composed of broken fragments of minerals or rock cemented together by a fine-grained matrix, that can be either similar to or different from the composition of the fragments....
of volcanic origin. A similar alcove is presently being cut by the Shoshone at the mouth of Clocktower Creek. The cave fill has accumulated for at least 10,000 years and appears to have originated from nearby debris fans
Alluvial fan
An alluvial fan is a fan-shaped deposit formed where a fast flowing stream flattens, slows, and spreads typically at the exit of a canyon onto a flatter plain. A convergence of neighboring alluvial fans into a single apron of deposits against a slope is called a bajada, or compound alluvial...
formed where weathered material has flowed down channels in neighboring cliffs.
Apart from the depth and consistent nature of the alluvium, Mummy Cave is also characterized by extreme dryness. The pointed shape of the cliff above prevents rain and meltwater from percolating through the rock to the cave, and there are no vertical joints in the rock above.
Archeological investigation
The investigation of Mummy Cave was led by Robert Edgar from 1963 to 1965. The alcove was marked out into a 5 feet (1.5 m) grid, with a permanent reference mark for elevation marked on the wall. Initial investigation focused on establishing stratigraphyStratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....
. Once the layers of alluvium in the cave floor were established, the excavation proceeded layer by layer. The excavations terraced the cave floor into 4 to 6 ft (1.2 to 1.8 m) levels, following the established reference grid. Digging was done with hand trowels in the artifact-bearing layers while layers devoid of artifacts were excavated with shovels. Spoils were disposed of down the embankment.
The site had previously been disturbed by relic hunters, who had dug a 2.5 foot (0.762 m) deep pit in what turned out to be the most productive zone of the excavation. The relic hunters appear to have stopped when they encountered a rock cairn that covered what proved to be a human burial site.
By the end of 1963 a portion of the site had been excavated to a depth of 20 feet (6.1 m) and shored with timbers, while the upper three cultural zones (layers 36–38) were removed across the site. During the 1964 season layers 29–35 were removed and some zones were excavated much more deeply. In 1965 layers 24–28 were removed from the central area of the alcove. By this time it was clear that excavation would proceed for the full depth of the site, and that the disposal of a considerable quantity of excavated debris would need to be addressed. A bulldozer was brought in to remove sections of fill beyond the drip line of the shelter. The 1966 season was directed by Wilfred M. Husted. Results of the Mummy Cave investigations were published in Science
Science (journal)
Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is one of the world's top scientific journals....
in 1968.
Results
The excavation of Mummy Cave yielded a nearly continuous succession of artifactsArtifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
, which span a period of over 9000 years. The artifacts were disposed in a manner that permitted dating in both relative terms through stratigraphy, as well as through radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
to establish an absolute scale. This continuum has proved to be invaluable in relating and dating other excavations in the Rocky Mountain region. In particular, the stone projectile point
Projectile point
In archaeological terms, a projectile point is an object that was hafted to a projectile, such as a spear, dart, or arrow, or perhaps used as a knife....
s found at Mummy Cave have been used to set the standard for classifying stone arrowheads and spear heads in the region. The point typology has been extrapolated to define cultural and commercial relationships between peoples throughout the American West. Stratigraphy and carbon dating indicate that Mummy Cave was first occupied near the end of the Pinedale glaciation. Later occupancy spanned the Altithermal
Holocene climatic optimum
The Holocene Climate Optimum was a warm period during roughly the interval 9,000 to 5,000 years B.P.. This event has also been known by many other names, including: Hypsithermal, Altithermal, Climatic Optimum, Holocene Optimum, Holocene Thermal Maximum, and Holocene Megathermal.This warm period...
, followed by a cooler climate from about 1000 BC.
The earliest layers at Mummy Cave yielded a few prismatic stone blades
Prismatic blade
In archaeology, a prismatic blade is a long, narrow, specialized lithic flake with parallel margins. Prismatic blades are removed from polyhedral blade cores through pressure reduction. This process results in a very standardized finished tool and waste assemblage...
dating to about 7300 BC. Several layers contained no artifacts and were defined by soot layers. By layer 6 the first parallel-oblique points appeared. By Layer 8, roughly corresponding to 6500 BC, the cultural evidence became continuous. Layers 8, 9, 10 and 12 produced lanceolate
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
or leaf-shaped projectile points which have been interpreted as corresponding to Angostura-style points. This implies that the inhabitants of Mummy Cave during this era were big-game hunters from the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
who adapted to the mountain environment. In layer 16, radiocarbon dated to 5630 BC, a new type of point appeared. These Blackwater side-notched points implied the arrival of a group from eastern Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
or western Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, replacing the previous group which may have moved to the north. The presence of such points suggests a connection with the Simonsen Site in northeastern Iowa, which has been dated to the Early Archaic period. This transition coincided with the climatic shift to the Altithermal. Side-notched points recovered from layers 21, 24 and 28 imply a return of the previous inhabitants; the easterners had moved on to the central Columbian Plateau.
Layer 30 was dated to 2470±150 BC. Layer 32 was dated to 870±135 BC. It is hypothesized that layers 32–38 represent the presence of people of the Shoshonean
Shoshone language
Shoshoni or Shoshone is a Native American language spoken by the Shoshone people. Principal dialects of Shoshoni include Western Shoshoni in Nevada, Gosiute in western Utah, Northern Shoshoni in southern Idaho and northern Utah, and Eastern Shoshoni in Wyoming.Shoshoni-speaking Native Americans...
culture, with increasingly definitive Shoshonean artifacts present from layer 36 onward, including cordage and basketwork. Layer 38 yielded gray flat-bottomed pottery of Shoshonean manufacture. Layer 36 is notable as the source of the "mummy." The desiccated
Desiccation
Desiccation is the state of extreme dryness, or the process of extreme drying. A desiccant is a hygroscopic substance that induces or sustains such a state in its local vicinity in a moderately sealed container.-Science:...
body of an adult male wearing a sheepskin garment with fur and feather ornament was recovered from this layer and dated to about 770 AD by radiocarbon dating.
Several thousand animal bones were discovered in Mummy Cave. While the large majority of the bones could not be identified, researchers at the University of Texas at El Paso
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
(UTEP) were able to determine the biological origins of over two thousand bones. As at many other archeological sites in the region, significant numbers of Bighorn Sheep
Bighorn Sheep
The bighorn sheep is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns. These horns can weigh up to , while the sheep themselves weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates that there are three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: Ovis canadensis sierrae...
(Ovis canadensis) and deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
from the genus Odocoileus
Odocoileus
Odocoileus is a genus of medium-sized deer containing two species native to the Americas. The name is sometimes spelt odocoeleus; it is from a contraction of the roots odonto- and coelus meaning "hollow-tooth".-Species:...
were identified. Of particular interest to biologists was the much larger number of sheep than deer: eighty-eight sheep and fifteen deer were identified. Such a prevalence of sheep over deer is highly unusual for archeological sites in the region, because deer are equally or more plentiful in areas such as the one in which Mummy Cave is located. This anomaly has led researchers at UTEP to propose that the site was used as a home base for hunters to operate at higher altitudes.
The wide range of artifacts discovered at the site has caused Mummy Cave to be seen as a highly significant site for the study of Rocky Mountain archeology. The cave's significance was recognized by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
with its placement on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1981.
See also
- Archaeology of the AmericasArchaeology of the AmericasThe archaeology of the Americas is the study of the archaeology of North America , Central America, South America and the Caribbean...
- Arlington Springs Man – (Human remains)
- Calico Early Man SiteCalico Early Man SiteThe Calico Early Man Site is a series of stone tool workshop and quarry sites located near Barstow in San Bernardino County in the central Mojave Desert of southern California...
– (Archeological site) - Cueva de las ManosCueva de las ManosCueva de las Manos is a cave or a series of caves located in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, 163 km south of the town of Perito Moreno. It is famous for the paintings of hands, made by the indigenous inhabitants some 9,000 years ago...
– (Cave paintings) - Buhl womanBuhl womanBuhla is the name for a skeleton of a prehistoric woman found in a quarry near Buhl, Idaho, United States, in January 1989. The skeleton's age has been estimated by radiocarbon dating at 10,675 ± 95 BCE , which confirms this as one of the oldest human remains found in the Americas...
– (Human remains) - Fort Rock CaveFort Rock CaveFort Rock Cave was the site of the earliest evidence of human habitation in the U.S. state of Oregon prior to excavation of Paisley Caves. Fort Rock Cave featured numerous well-preserved sagebrush sandals, ranging from 9,000 to 13,000 years old....
– (Archeological site) - Kennewick ManKennewick ManKennewick Man is the name for the skeletal remains of a prehistoric man found on a bank of the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington, USA, on July 28, 1996...
– (Human remains) - Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchiKwäday Dän Ts’ìnchiKwäday Dän Ts'ìnchi , or Canadian Ice Man, is a naturally mummified body found in Tatshenshini-Alsek Park in British Columbia, Canada, by a group of hunters in 1999. Radiocarbon dating of artifacts found with the body placed the age of the body at between 300 and 550 years old...
– (Human remains) - Marmes RockshelterMarmes RockshelterThe Marmes Rockshelter is an archaeological site first excavated in 1962, near the confluence of the Snake and Palouse Rivers, in Franklin County, southeastern Washington. This rockshelter is remarkable in the level of preservation of organic materials, the depth of stratified deposits, and the...
– (Archeological site) - Paisley CavesPaisley CavesThe Paisley Caves complex is a system of four caves in an arid, desolate region of south-central Oregon, United States. One of the caves may contain archaeological evidence of the oldest definitively-dated human presence in North America. The site was first studied by archeologists in the 1930s...
– (Archeological site)
External links
- Mummy Cave at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office