Archaeology

Clarkville Archaeological Sites

     Sites along the river in Clarksville were excavated in the 1930s (Guernsey), 1969-1970 (Janzen), and again in 2002 (McCollough).   The 2002 report from the archaeological dig conducted near the George Rogers Clark home-site indicated the site dated between 4600-3200 B.C.E. in the Late Archaic.

     A lot of lithic debris (flint and chert) of local poor quality flint was found at the site. This indicated stone tool production was occurring, although not enough material was discovered to suggest the people occupying the site were manufacturing projectile points for trading purposes. 

     Forty-eight pieces of worked bone and antler were also found at the site including awls, needles, atlatl hooks, and deer antler tine flakers. Other items discovered included: chipped and ground stone tools, food remains of: deer, small animals, fish, birds, freshwater mussels, freshwater snails, and charred nut fragments. 

     At the Clarksville site 42% of waste flakes were from the first stages of tool manufacture and 58% represented other stages that ended in a finished tool.  Therefore, archaeologists concluded that the people at the Clarksville site were bringing whole chunks of chert back to one area at the Clark site to make stone tools.  Five different kinds of chert are found at the Falls region.  All but 4% of the chert flakes discovered came from the Falls area. 

     The major diet of the people occupying the site appeared to be animals, including deer with lesser dependence on raccoons, opossum, rabbit, and some turkey, but no migratory bird bones were found in the refuse pile.  Some dog bones were found, which is not unusual because dogs were used as pack animals, as well as a food source.  Three other sources of food that were used by the people at the site were freshwater drum fish, five different kinds of freshwater snails, and freshwater mussels.  Archaeologists determined that the people at the Clarksville Site were using deer-bone fish hooks and fish nets with stone sinkers that had shallow grooves around them.  Freshwater mussels were used in large quantities.  Only hickory nut shells were found at the dig site and so it is possible that the natives were not very reliant on plant foods.

     No pottery was found at the site, but archaeologists did find the skull -cap of a deer and the shell of a turtle that showed signs it had been modified.  It is possible that the peoples who accessed the site used hide or wooden containers but these types of materials do not survive in wet soils.  It is evident that these people were cooking food because of the large number of fire-cracked rock that was found.  Archaeologists surmised that cooking was done by roasting on a spit over an open fire, smoking fish, steaming mussels, or pit cooking (whereby a hole was dug, lined with a piece of deer hide, the food was placed in the “pot”, and heated rocks were added to cook the food).  One interesting find was fired-clay balls, from about golf-ball to tennis-ball size.  These fire-baked clay balls could have been used in the cooking process.  Archaeologists believe that the clay balls were a trade item.

     Archaeologists believe that people at the Clarksville Site had time to make items for personal adornment, such as beads made from bone and teeth, and freshwater mussel shells carved into disks for pendants and hair -pins.  Some of the items were decorated by carving notches or engraving designs of zigzags, cross-hatches, straight lines, and rectangular patterns.  Archaeologists speculate that red ochre pigment may have also been used to decorate clothes and as body paint. 

     The artifacts recovered indicate tools used for: food procurement, because of the atlatl hook found; food processing, because of stone tools found; food consumption, because of animal and fish bones found; leather and textile work, because of awls and needles found; and tool manufacture, because of debitage, cores, and unfinished bifaces found at the site.  The refuse midden had multiple disposal episodes (time periods) indicating that the people did not continuously occupy the site, but set up seasonal camps.  This was determined because of the lack of grinding slabs, pestles, pitted stones or large amounts of deer antler and bone tools.  There was a low density of nut-shells and an absence of seed processing tools indicating that nuts and seeds were not an important part of the diet.  There were only 16 awls found and the low number could indicate that leather-work was not intensive.

     The artifacts absent or low in number are associated with work which is done in late summer to early fall, suggesting the site was not used during this time.  Also discovered was a freshwater shell midden.  Mussels and snails are harvested spring through fall indicating a spring to fall occupation.  However, it should be noted that the shell midden had a variation in amount and type of debris with some sections showing intensive use of nuts and some of shellfish.  This further indicates seasonal occupation. 

     It is interesting to note that the midden shows evidence of the types of debris mainly produced through women’s work.  Women collected shellfish, made baskets and leather, and some stone and bone tools, such as awls and needles.  No tools associated with men were recovered from the midden.  Archaeologists found no fish hooks or net sinkers, only two antler tines used for pressure flaking and two atlatl parts were recovered, and no adzes or axes were found either.  It was surmised that this could be due to the small sample size or the fact that samples were taken from the midden at different levels and places so it is possible the evidence of work by men was missed.

Where did the Falls get its collection of archaeological materials?

     The Falls of the Ohio State Park has obtained several important local collections of artifacts from our general area that date back to over 8000 B.C.E. These tools help us understand how people lived and thrived.  Also, some of the stone tools and projectile points have been found on site and at the George Rogers Clark archaeological dig site that was conducted in the 2002.

     Like almost all museums, we do not buy artifacts. Everything in our collections has been obtained through donations, museum loans, or small-scale archaeological digs related to projects within our property boundary. We can assist with identification of some artifacts, although refer most to our "Artifact Identification Guide" on our main archaeology page. We often refer individuals to the Falls of the Ohio Archaeological Society for a more accurate assessment. 

     Please note that staff at the Falls of the Ohio State Park do not appraise cultural materials or anything other items for financial purposes.

To explore other cultural periods, click Paleoindian, Archaic, Woodland, or Mississippian.

Created July 26, 2011.