Monday, May 17, 2004

Archaeologists investigating ancient site near Glen Carbon

Archaeologists are sifting through the soil of a one-and-a-half-acre site in Glen Carbon, near St. Louis, for evidence of a culture that vanished a millennium ago.

The site under excavation is one of only a few in south-western Illinois dating to the end of the Woodland period. That time preceded the better known Mississippian culture, which produced the Cahokia Mounds near Collinsville.


Shanghai people's lifespan below 30 years 6000 years ago

Though Shanghai is now well-known for the longevity of its citizens, archaeologists said 6,000 years ago people didn't live longer than 30 years.

Archaeologists said a newly discovered skull which dates back 6,000 years belonged to a man around the age of 30.


This seems kind of misleading. To clarify a couple of terms: 'Life expectancy' refers to a statistical measure of the average life span, which is what this article seems to refer to. That is, if you average out how long everyone lived, the figure you'd get would be about 30-ish, which is pretty much universal up until the last century. That doesn't mean nobody lived longer than that or that you would look like a 70-year old at 30 and then keel over. It usually means that there was a high infant mortality rate and that few people lived to very old age. This is contrasted with the 'average life span', which really hasn't changed much over the years. That is, if disease, accident, whatever don't get you, you will probably live somewhere into your 70s.

Archaeologist brings the past into focus (Free registration required)

Jay C. Blaine of Allen likes to get his hands dirty.

For doing so, the Texas Historical Commission recently chose him for the Curtis D. Tunnell Lifetime Achievement Award in Archeology, recognizing him as a foremost expert in the field.

More than 50 years of research and preservation have helped the avocational archaeologist hone his expertise, which is interpreting the age and history of metal artifacts.

In 1993, Mr. Blaine also received the Award of Excellence in Archeology for Archeological Preservation from the Texas Historical Commission.


ARCHAEOLOGISTS discover trove of Indian artifacts

An archaeological dig in this village where a major sewer project is to start this year has turned up thousands of Indian artifacts.

"It really is an important site," said Matt Purtill, a principal investigator and archaeologist with Gray & Pape Inc. in nearby Cincinnati. "The information we are getting off it now will be used for years to come to answer new questions about the last part of prehistory in southwestern Ohio."

The dig has turned up clay pot pieces, an old fish hook, corn, broken arrowheads, tools and a few human bones, he said. The items were found in a park.

Work at the site finished on Friday. It began four weeks ago to ensure there were no items in the sewer project area.


Finding history in Elliot Park's dirt

Kent Bakken sees something in the gravel in Elliot Park's vacant lots.

Most people gaze up at the skyscrapers when standing Downtown, forgetting about the stories buried underneath them.

Bakken, a University of Minnesota doctoral student in archaeology, has his nose to the ground, investigating shards of old porcelain bowls, glass bottles and other remains left from old homes that once lined the neighborhood's streets.