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  • archaeologists digging an excavation

    Possible Futures for the Recent Past

    The Illinois State Archaeological Survey proudly announces the release of our latest publication, Possible Futures for the Recent Past: A Chronological and Resource-Based Framework for Historic Research Design in Illinois.

  • As we all seek to limit spread of COVID-19, Toward the Middle Range conference will be postponed to 2021.

    POSTPONED TO 2021 – Toward the Middle Range conference

    As we all seek to limit spread of COVID-19, this event will be postponed to 2021.  

    The Illinois State Archaeological Survey will host a visiting scholar conference May 30–31, 2020. Toward the Middle Range will focus on the intersection of theory, method, and case study through the lens of the New Materialisms. Up to 15 participants—local, national, and international—will be selected for this two-day conference, which will feature both public and private sessions. Papers will be compiled into an edited volume.

  • Preserving the Past in 3D

    John Lambert and Alleen Betzenhauser describe how they used a 3D scanner to capture digital images of petroglyphs that were pecked and ground into limestone boulders during the Mississippian Period

  • Illinois State Archaeological Survey postdoctoral researcher Rebecca Barzilai maps and collects soil samples from the floor of a religious shrine in Greater Cahokia, an ancient Native American settlement on the Mississippi River in and around present-day St. Louis.

    Reading history in the soil

    Illinois State Archaeological Survey postdoctoral researcher Rebecca Barzilai maps and collects soil samples from the floor of a religious shrine in Greater Cahokia, an ancient Native American settlement on the Mississippi River in and around present-day St. Louis.

  • Mike Farkas, Michael Aiuvalasit and Tim Pauketat walking amid bare trees

    Rediscovering a path to the Milky Way

    ISAS archaeologists investigate "borrow pits," where the people of Cahokia extracted much of the soil used to build their famous mounds. The scientists are beginning to think these ponds held more meaning for the original city builders than archaeologists once assumed. They also hope to study another overlooked feature of the city of Cahokia: a causeway that cuts through the site.

  • Remembering Andrew Fortier

    Dr. Andrew C. Fortier, a stalwart figure in the Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS) and the broader Midwest archaeological community, departed on November 6, 2023, leaving behind a legacy of profound contributions and fond memories.

  • James "Jimmy" Burns

    Remembering James “Jimmy” Burns

    It is with profound sadness that we share the news that James “Jimmy” Burns passed away on November 7, 2023. Jimmy was a consummate field archaeologist who worked extensively across the Midwest, Far West, and Southeast over a 40-year career in both cultural resource management and academic settings. Above all, Jimmy was the best friend a person could be and he will be missed forever across ISAS, PRI, and beyond. 

  • Researchers find evidence of ritual use of 'black drink' at Cahokia

    People living 700 to 900 years ago in Cahokia, a massive settlement near the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, ritually used a caffeinated brew made from the leaves of a holly tree that grew hundreds of miles away, researchers report.

  • Kaleb Cotter sift tray

    Restoring a lost heritage

    The Illinois State Archaeological Survey is partnering with Allerton Park staff to identify, restore, interpret and preserve mounds (probably ancient burial structures) at Robert Allerton Park.

  • 'Revealing Greater Cahokia' details research on ancient North American metropolis

    A new book, “Revealing Greater Cahokia, North America’s First Native City,” offers the most complete picture yet of a decade of archaeological research on a little-known part of the larger city and its precincts in East St. Louis. 

  • Scattergood receives Outstanding New Support Staff Award

    ISAS archaeological projects coordinator Sarah Scattergood received the Outstanding New Support Staff Award at the 2019 Prairie Research Institute Celebration of Excellence. 

  • Archaeologist Marie Meizis of the Illinois State Archaeological Survey uses a magnetic gradiometer. Photo credit: Matt Dayhoff, Peoria Journal Star

    Seeing an Indigenous settlement

  • Tim Pauketat speaks to a crowd of U of I alumni

    State Archaeologist leads Cahokia tour for Illinois alumni

    Illinois State Archaeologist Tim Pauketat led a tour of Cahokia Mounds on Sept. 19 for a group of University of Illinois alumni. This special event was organized by the Illinois Alumni Association and the Prairie Research Institute. 

  • Study of pipestone artifacts overturns a century-old assumption

    In the early 1900s, archaeologist William Mills dug up a treasure-trove of carved stone pipes that had been buried almost 2,000 years earlier. Mills was the first to dig the Native American site, called Tremper Mound, in southern Ohio. And when he inspected the pipes, he made a reasonable—but untested—assumption. The pipes looked as if they had been carved from local stone, and so he said they were. That assumption, first published in 1916, has been repeated in scientific publications to this day. But according to a new analysis, Mills was wrong.

  • Tamira Brennan

    Tamira Brennan returns to ISAS as curator

    Dr. Tamira Brennan, who previously worked at the American Bottom Field Station as a coordinator, researcher, and ceramic analyst, is returning to the Illinois State Archaeological Survey as the section head of curation. ISAS houses one of the most extensive archaeological research collections in the state of Illinois, which is used by researchers from around the world to gain insights into our history. 

  • The Ancient Bobkitten Buried Like A Human

  • Tim Pauketat at lectern

    The moon's tears fell on Cahokia

    In November, Illinois State Archaeologist Tim Pauketat delivered a lecture sponsored by The Archaeological Conservancy. In his talk, he described insights gained about Cahokia and future plans for outreach and research activities conducted in collaboration with Tribes. 

  • Upper Mississippian jar rims from the Schryver collection.

    The Richard and Marilyn Schryver Collection

    The Richard and Marilyn Schryver Collection was donated to the Illinois State Archaeological Survey in the Fall of 2019 by their children.

  • The Zimmerman Site Re-examination of Materials (2010)

  • Third annual Intersections of Indigenous Knowledge and Archaeology Speaker Series

    This spring the Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will hold its third annual virtual speaker series featuring Native scholars and leaders. The Intersections of Indigenous Knowledge and Archaeology series is intended to center Indigenous voices, increase awareness of the deep Native histories of the Eastern Woodlands, and amplify the experiences and research of Indigenous scholars and leaders. 

  • microphone

    Virtual speaker series features Native scholars and leaders

    This spring the Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will hold a virtual speaker series featuring Native scholars and leaders. The Intersections of Indigenous Knowledge and Archaeology series is intended to center Indigenous voices, increase awareness of the deep Native histories of the Eastern Woodlands, and amplify the experiences and research of Indigenous scholars and leaders. 

  • Watch the April 11th lecture from Betty Gaedtke, Quapaw Nation

  • Benjamin Barnes

    Watch the March 14 lecture from Chief Benjamin Barnes, Shawnee Tribe

    The Intersections of Indigenous Knowledge and Archaeology Speaker Series aims to center Indigenous voices, increase awareness of the deep Native histories of the Eastern Woodlands, and amplify the experiences, research, and knowledge of Indigenous leaders, scholars, and artisans.

    Watch the March 14 lecure by Chief Benjamin Barnes, Shawnee Tribe. 

  • Watch the May 9th lecture from Dr. John Low, The Ohio State University