The Titus Focus has been defined on the basis of data derived almost
entirely from burials (Suhm _et al._, 1954: 191). As pointed out by
Davis (1958: 67) there is a possibility that mortuary offerings of
pottery, arrow points, and other objects may represent selected items
and do not necessarily provide a complete catalog of traits actually
used by the Titus Focus people. Trait lists compiled from burial data
include the arrow point type Talco and the pottery types Ripley Engraved
and Harleton Appliquéd as focus diagnostics. Other types listed as Titus
Focus traits are shared with other foci.
Davis (1958: 67-68) has noted that Talco points are reported by local
collectors to occur only in burials. If this is so, the absence of Talco
points in the occupation zones at Harroun does not necessarily negate
Titus Focus affiliation for the site. The Perdiz arrow point associated
with the burial, however, does seem out of character for Titus Focus as
it has been defined.
By and large, the ceramics at the Harroun Site are typical forms and
styles of the Titus Focus. However, the absence of diagnostic pottery
type Harleton Appliquéd and the presence of Pease Brushed-Incised are
incongruous with previous concepts of the Titus Focus.[2] At the Whelan
Site, on Cypress Creek 15 miles below the Harroun Site, Davis (1958) has
recently reported a series of superimposed houses within a small mound,
associated with an assemblage of artifacts remarkably similar to those
at Harroun. Ripley Engraved and Pease Brushed-Incised were both present
in significant quantities at Whelan, while Harleton Appliquéd was
totally absent. No Talco arrow points were found, but six arrow points
with expanding stems and one Perdiz point were recovered. Since more
than 15,000 artifacts were collected from the Whelan Site, it adds
considerable substance to the inventory of artifacts from Harroun, and
virtually eliminates any possibility that the Harroun inventory, because
of the smallness of the sample, is not truly representative.
On a low ridge near the edge of the Cypress Creek valley, about a half
mile west of the Harroun Site, R. R. Nicholas and E. M. German (personal
communication) recently excavated several burials. They reported finding
vessels of Ripley Engraved and Pease Brushed-Incised associated in the
same graves. This spot may be the location of the main village
occupation related to the Harroun mounds; in any event the burials there
confirm the association of Titus Focus and Bossier Focus ceramic types
found at the Harroun and Whelan Sites.
The traits observed at the Harroun Site indicate affiliation with the
Titus Focus, but with the following notable deviations from previous
conceptions of the focus:
1. Talco points—thought to be a diagnostic trait of Titus Focus—are
absent. However, Talco is alleged to occur only in burials, and
consequently its absence in occupational areas is not necessarily
significant.
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