Modified teeth and jaws have long been recognized as important ceremonial objects during the Middle Woodland period of eastern North America. Direct evidence for the manufacture of the objects is exceedingly rare because they are typically recovered from mortuary contexts or ceremonial caches. Here, we present multiple lines of evidence pointing to the manufacture of modified teeth and jaws at the Moorehead Circle post enclosure within the Fort Ancient Earthworks. The convergence of protein residue, lithic use-wear, and faunal data indicate that bear and likely canid bones were modified by artisans working within the Moorehead Circle. These findings add an important new layer of understanding to our knowledge of these objects, human–animal relations, and craft production in the Middle Woodland.

在北美东部的林地中部时期，经过修饰的牙齿和颌骨长期以来一直被认为是重要的礼仪物品。制造这些物品的直接证据极为罕见，因为它们通常是从太平间环境或仪式缓存中回收的。在这里，我们提供了多条证据，表明在 Fort Ancient Earthworks 内的 Moorehead Circle post enclosure 制造了改良的牙齿和颌骨。蛋白质残留、石器磨损和动物群数据的汇集表明，熊和可能的犬科动物的骨头是由在 Moorehead Circle 工作的工匠修改的。这些发现为我们对中部林地的这些物品、人与动物的关系和工艺生产的知识增加了一个重要的新层次的理解。