Download the Podcast on Mississippians

The Mississippians

About 1,000 years ago Native Americans settled at this location. We know these people as the Mississippians, and they lived throughout the Southeast and the Mississippi Valley. They built large villages and ceremonial earthworks along major rivers. Mississippian settlements are identified by their distinctive pottery types. The Mississippian people had a very complex political organization. Larger villages dominated entire river valleys and strongly influenced neighboring villages.

In 2004 the City of North Augusta started a project to revitalize this portion of the riverfront. As part of this project, they conducted an archaeological survey to see if any significant archaeological or historical sites would be affected. The survey revealed the presence of a significant village site located on the terrace above the Greeneway. This site was called Riverfront Village after the development. In 2005 and 2006, full-scale archaeological excavations began.

Download the Podcast on the Excavation

Excavation

During excavation, more than 100,000 artifacts were recovered from nearly 5,000 features. These features are the remains from approximately 80 houses and surrounding activity areas. Six palisade walls were identified. These walls indicate that the village went through several stages of expansion. Radiocarbon dates indicate that the village was probably occupied from about 1,000 to 600 years ago, and then briefly again in the late 1600s. The artifacts were mostly fragments of broken pottery, stone tools, food remains, and European trade items such as glass beads and brass bells or "tinkler cones."

Archaeological Process

Survey
The first step is finding where the important sites are located. Archaeologists begin with a methodical survey of the land. They divide the area into a grid and dig small holes that are evenly spaced from each other. These small holes are called "shovel tests." Shovel testing lets archaeologists know artifact locations, the size of the site, and where the main areas of the site are located.

Testing
The second step involves "testing" the site to see whether it is significant. This phase involves excavating large square holes called "units." Using the information from the initial survey, archaeologists dig these units in areas where the shovel tests had the most artifacts. Archaeologists look for buried remains called "features." Features are dark stains in the soil that are the remains of such things as pits, houses, or burials.

Data Recovery
If archaeologists believe that the site is significant, the third step requires larger-scale excavation, which is known as "data recovery." Sometimes machines, such as backhoes, are required to scrape large areas of the site. The plan at Riverfront Village called for the excavation of 25 large units, each measuring 50 by 50 feet. This was one of the largest excavations ever to take place in the City of North Augusta.

Lab Analysis
After the artifacts are collected, they are brought back to the laboratory for cleaning. The lab technicians identify the artifacts, record them, and reconstruct broken vessels. The artifacts are then prepared for long-term storage at a specialized facility, or for a display at a museum.