Rock Walls on a Mountain

The LAMAR Institute was hired to survey a unique property in the South Carolina mountains during the spring of 2022. This was the Rocky Bottom Walls Site in Pickens County. The site was first recorded by Tommy Charles, who recognized the rarity and importance of the site. In early 2022, the property was purchased by the Naturaland Trust to become part of a natural heritage preserve. Our task was to map the rock walls that dominate this landscape and to perform a cursory exploration of them to ascertain their age and function. For this task, we enlisted the aid of noted rock art/rock pile specialist Jannie Loubser. Jannie, P.T. Ashlock, and I conducted the survey project. Our efforts are detailed in a LAMAR Institute report, located here:

Click to access publication_233_reducedsize.pdf

This effort is not exactly completed yet, however, as we are awaiting the laboratory results of two OSL dates from our test excavations adjacent to one of the rock walls. These results are expected this coming summer, thanks to the efforts of geomorphologist and OSL-dating specialist Andrew Ivester. Waiting patiently Andrew!