Archaeologists Discover Native American 1,400 Year-Old Settlement

By Soyoung Kwak in News on Jul 17, 2010 2:30PM

Archaeologists, students, and volunteers from Illinois have discovered a Native American settlement in Illinois, just south of Jerseyville (which is dangerously close to Missouri). The excavation sites near Jerseyville hint that this Native American settlement could be around 1,400 years old. Moreover, there is a four-lane highway being built through the area of the excavation site, so the dig is scheduled to conclude before the completion of the highway. In an effort to complete the dig before the highway becomes viable, archaeologists have discovered that regions east and west of the pending highway have different characteristics in terms of what sort of archaeological evidence they hold. ">From NBC 5:

Some of the pits on the west side excavations are large, some smaller; some are storage pits, and some were trash pits. Two appear to have been kiln pits. To date, archaeologists have not found any evidence of homes, because they haven't discovered any post pits. The large bell-shaped storage pit with the flagstone flooring is shaped such that it easily could have been sealed with a clay plug to keep rodents and other small animals out of the goods stored inside. On the east side excavations, they are finding ample amounts of glass and pottery pieces dating to the 1830s and 1840s. While a much later time period, it is one that is not well-documented archaeologically. At that site, they have found what appears to be an old cistern and an odd, trench-like area that was known more to be a construction method of the French.

The excavation began in April and is expected to be completed within the next month. No word yet whether or not esteemed archaeologist (and University of Chicago alum) Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones had any role in the discovery of this Native American settlement.