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  • a large carved limestone disc

    Carved limestone disc

    Jun 29, 2018 10:00 am

    During the month of June, field crew from the American Bottom Field Station (ABFS) of ISAS carried out pedestrian surveys in southern Illinois for a proposed interstate reconstruction project. One of the site areas investigated contained numerous Mississippian artifacts including hoe fragments and shell-tempered pottery. 

  • Both sides of a shell tool, which may have been used to decorate a ceramic vessel before final firing. The tool was found at a site in Cook County earlier this year.

    Shell tool

    Sep 9, 2019 1:45 pm

    During a collaborative restoration project with the Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPCC), this shell tool, which archaeologists believe may have been used to make decorative designs on a ceramic vessel prior to final firing was recovered.

  • a 1943 German Reichspfennig (“imperial penny”)

    1943 German Reichspfennig

    Feb 4, 2019 9:00 am

    Last fall, while investigating an Archaic period site northwest of Macomb, an unexpected artifact was recovered from the plow zone: a 1943 German Reichspfennig (“imperial penny”). How this foreign World War II-era coin ended up in a US agricultural field far from any residence is puzzling and may never be known with certainty.

  • A recently reconstructed La Crosse fabric-marked vessel from the Herb Mangold donation. Photo credit: Aimee Roberts.

    La Crosse fabric-marked bowl from the Herb Mangold donation

    Apr 7, 2021 8:00 am

    Ongoing volunteer work with the Herb Mangold donation reveals important new information about Late Woodland ceramic technology in the Sny Bottom locality south of Quincy, Illinois.

  • two ISAS staff examine an artifact

    ISAS staff help Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

    Nov 29, 2021 2:30 pm

    A few months ago, a visitor found an interesting stone at Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville. They took pictures and alerted Forest Preserve District staff, who reached out to the Illinois State Archaeological Survey for their perspective. 

  • 1834 half dime

    Half Dime

    Mar 28, 2019 11:15 am

    While excavating a site including a historic house cellar in Randolph County, staff from the American Bottom Field Station found this 1834 half dime, along with animal bones, buttons, bottles, and ceramic tableware. Indications are the house was in use in the 1830s and 1840s. 

  • ISAS archaeologist Lauren Fitts holds a piece of the rim from a large ceramic vessel. This artifact was found at a site in the Elizabeth A. Conkey Forest Preserve in Cook County.

    Ceramic vessel

    Jul 8, 2019 10:15 am

    Recently staff from the Northern Illinois Field Station, along with volunteers, investigated and helped restore a site in the Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPCC). 

  • This fascinating point was recovered during archaeological investigations at the Clinton Silt site (11JY398) in Jersey County, Illinois.

    Idiosyncratic point

    Sep 17, 2018 10:30 am

    Found at the bottom of a deep pit dating to the Late Woodland period (circa 600-800 AD), this point displays surprising characteristics in both form and choice of material. The point is idiosyncratic, meaning it displays an unusual mix of aspects making it difficult to identify and compare with other known point types. 

  • Staff from the ISAS recently recovered this rim section of a cord-impressed vessel dating to the Terminal Late Woodland period.

    Cord-impressed vessel fragment

    Jul 29, 2019 9:30 am

    The Western Illinois Field Station team recently recovered an interesting rim section from a cord-impressed vessel while sampling a restricted bluff base midden or trash deposit during an IDOT-sponsored bridge replacement project in Tazewell County.

  • This bone needle was found during a recent dig in the Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPCC).

    Bone needle

    Jul 22, 2019 10:30 am

    Staff from the Northern Illinois Field Station, along with volunteers, recently collaborated with the Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPCC) to investigate and restore a large Native American farming village last month. Bone needles and ceramic vessels were found during this recent dig.

  • The c. 9000-years-old serrated Kirk cluster point was broken and reworked into a drawshave-type of hafted tool displaying a needle tip.

    Western Illinois projectile points

    May 17, 2019 11:45 am

    Various projectile points were found in fields across Western Illinois, including Shuyler and Cass counties. 

  • soda and mineral water bottles embossed with the names of East St. Louis soda water companies.

    Soda and mineral water bottles

    Oct 15, 2018 11:00 am

    Between 2009 and 2012, ISAS conducted excavations within multiple turn of the 20th century neighborhoods as part of the excavation in East St. Louis and the New Mississippi River Bridge project. One of the more common artifacts found were soda and mineral water bottles embossed with the names of East St. Louis soda water companies.

  • Agate Basin point (PaleoIndian type) recovered by our Western Illinois Field Station.

    Agate Basin point

    May 30, 2018 3:00 pm

    The June 2018 artifact of the month is a beautiful Agate Basin point (Paleoindian type) recovered by our Western Illinois Field Station.

  • Vegetables harvested from the WIFS garden.

    The past feeds the present

    Aug 15, 2022 8:00 am

    The WIFS Macomb Fieldstation is currently home to the ISAS flotation laboratory, where flotation samples from projects across the state are processed. Leftover sediments have been repurposed in the on-site staff vegetable garden, once again enriching the local soils for a new food crop.

  • Anthropology professor Lisa Lucero and her colleagues are working to capture the history from Maya ruins before they are plowed under.

    Agricultural activity threatens Indigenous history in both Belize and Illinois

    Jul 7, 2022 8:00 am

    State Archaeologist Tim Pauketat reflects on a recent blog post from his colleague Dr. Lisa Lucero, which shows that Belize and Illinois share an unfortunate problem: agriculture puts Indigenous artifacts and history at risk. 

  • March 2018 Field Notes

    Mar 7, 2018 2:45 pm
  • Participants working on pieces from mock excavations

    FPCC groups learn more about Cook County archaeology

    Aug 17, 2022 8:00 am

    ISAS staff recently conducted four days of training and outreach activities to introduce several Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPCC) resource management groups to the archaeological history of the Cook County Forest Preserves.

  • November 2018 Field Notes

    Dec 10, 2018 2:30 pm

  • July 2018 Field Notes

    Jul 31, 2018 12:30 pm
  • Photo (left to right): John Sullivan '23, Mathew Ragonjan '22, Elise Griffin '24, Devin Nessler '24, Monika Poudel '25, John Alexander Schone Scobbie (Archaeological Specialist), Erin Hughes (Research Archaeologist), James Pisell (Staff Archaeologist). July 2022.

    Jacksonville lab tour

    Aug 3, 2022 1:00 pm

    Members of the Illinois College summer student scholarship cohort met with staff from the Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS) at the Western Illinois Field Station in Jacksonville, Illinois. Staff members John Alexander Schone Scobbie, an archaeological specialist, Erin Hughes, research archaeologist, and James Pisell, staff archaeologist, shared an overview of the mission and services of the ISAS and led a behind-the-scenes site tour.

  • August 2018 Field Notes

    Jul 31, 2018 2:45 pm

  • June 2018 Field Notes

    Jun 18, 2018 8:45 am
  • This bayonet was found during excavation of a structure at Fort Johnson/Cantonment Davis in Warsaw, in the immediate vicinity of a limestone fireplace.

    War of 1812 American socket bayonet

    Aug 9, 2018 10:15 am

    August’s Artifact of the Month: This bayonet was found during the excavation of a structure at Fort Johnson/Cantonment Davis in Warsaw, in the immediate vicinity of a limestone fireplace. It is a standard United States issue model 1808 bayonet, representing the first regulation of U.S. accouterments of the type that remained in service until 1828.

  • October 2018 Field Notes

    Oct 22, 2018 1:45 pm
  • Stoneware elbow pipe in a person's palm

    American Bottom Field Station investigates homestead

    Apr 24, 2019 2:15 pm
  • 5 people at work with augurs at the rivershore

    March 2019 Field Notes

    Mar 27, 2019 3:30 pm

  • September 2018 Field Notes

    Sep 11, 2018 9:30 am
  • A 2022 IFR field school student rehouses archaeological materials to prepare them for permanent storage.

    Counting on the future to save the past

    Oct 11, 2022 8:00 am

    When one thinks of excavations taking place in the blazing summer sun, most people don’t realize how much discovery occurs in the cool, dark collections spaces that curators like Tamira Brennan, section head of curation at the Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS) and her colleagues care for.

  • IFR students excavating at a 14th-century village during the first half of their six-week field school.

    2022 Field School uncovers pre-contact 14th century village

    Jul 22, 2022 1:30 pm

    Dr. Tamira Brennan, section head of curation at the Illinois State Archaeological Survey, recently completed a six-week archaeological field school in southeast Missouri. Hosted by the Institute for Field Research (IFR) in partnership with Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO), Field School students travel from all over the U.S. to participate in hands-on research.

  • February 2019 Field Notes

    Feb 14, 2019 3:15 pm

  • January 2019 Field Notes

    Jan 11, 2019 10:00 am
  • female Knox College student at the DeWulf excavation

    'Citizen archaeologists' contribute to DeWulf project

    Aug 5, 2021 11:45 am

    Volunteers, including students from Knox College, pitched in to help ISAS staff with a project at the DeWulf site, a Paleoindian site that dates back about 9,500 years. 

  • Allerton Cemetery Workshop

    Aug 28, 2019 12:45 pm
  • Jacob Skousen collects magnetometer data at the Hunze site in Missouri. 

    ISAS staff, students conduct geophysical survey in Missouri

    Apr 25, 2019 2:15 pm
  • IFR students sorting through archaeological materials being donated to the Center for Archaeological Investigations at SIUC.

    Curating a new curriculum

    Aug 2, 2021 8:00 am
  • (Left to Right) Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery founders Leslie Cooperband, Wes Jarrell, and ISAS staff Madeline Evans and Mike Smith holding artifacts. 

    Identifying artifacts at Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery

    Jan 24, 2022 8:00 am

    ISAS volunteers Mike Smith and Madeline Evans were able to visit Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery in Champaign this past December to assist the owners in identifying a collection of artifacts that came into their possession as they expanded their farm operation.

  • The Cardosi Site

    Oct 29, 2018 2:30 pm
  • Aerial photo showing the McKeown (11WT33) site area taken with a drone. The site extends along the ridge in the bottom center of the photo to the woodlot in the top right. View to the southwest. Photo credit: John Lambert.

    ISAS collaborates with landowners in Whiteside County to document pre-contact village site

    Aug 2, 2023 8:00 am

    The Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS) recently collaborated with landowners in northwest Illinois to investigate a pre-contact village and associated mound using non-invasive geophysical survey. Originally recorded in 1961 as a Late Woodland site, a brief revisit to the McKeown site in 1974 showed that the site actually dates to the Upper Mississippian Langford Phase and contains not only a mound, but intact house pits and other features.

  • test trenches

    ISAS supports Arthur Johnson Foundation’s mission of ‘hope, vision, and positive direction.’

    Mar 15, 2024 2:15 pm

    The Illinois State Archaeological Survey recently assisted with an archaeological survey for the new Arthur Johnson Foundation Center in East St. Louis, Illinois. The Foundation’s mission is to “give hope, vision and positive direction to our youth through the medium of athletics” and to rebuild inner-city communities by inspiring youth and assisting families experiencing crises.

  • Nine Dalton projectile points

    Dalton projectile points

    Sep 13, 2019 8:15 am

    ISAS recently hosted two researchers from the University of Louisville who are studying Dalton projectile points (8500–7900 BC) from the Midcontinent as part of a pilot research grant project. 

  • Large erosional gully at an archaeological site in St. Clair County, Illinois

    Climate change threatens to erode Illinois' archaeological record

    Dec 12, 2022 9:15 am

    Large swaths of the state—areas where the soil is easily eroded, where farm field slopes are particularly steep, and where there are many cultural sites of historic significance—are poised to suffer significant impacts in the coming decades. And with every fraction of an inch that washes downstream, the farmer’s plow goes a little deeper each year.

  • NIFS staff member Allison Densmore shows George Johnson how researchers are using his donated collections for a research project on the distribution of projectile points in Illinois. Photo credit: Clare Tolmie

    George Johnson donation: projectile points with a lasting impact

    Feb 8, 2023 8:30 am

    Our Northern Illinois Field Station (NIFS) recently had a friendly visit from a familiar face – George Johnson!  Johnson, who donated an important projectile points collection to ISAS many years ago, stopped by to donate more artifacts to his collection. Johnson's donated collection is a major hotspot on the projectile points database.

  • Stone tools that are suggestive of generalized Archaic period (probably 3,000 or more years old) use of the area where they were located – one is a drill or perforating tool and the other may be a reworked knife form.

    Archaic stone tools and Late Woodland ceramics

    Jul 22, 2020 9:45 am

    A Facebook message from a citizen scientist with a keen eye in Henderson County revealed an impressive assemblage of artifacts.

  • Patrick Durst's head and chest are visible as he stands in an excavation, with Steven Boles standing six feet behind him

    ISAS staff follow precautions while conducting essential fieldwork

    Apr 20, 2020 9:45 am
  • Archaeologists found this bone awl (made on a white-tailed deer metatarsus) in Stephenson County.

    Bone awls

    Jul 30, 2019 10:00 am

    Archaeologists from the Northern Illinois Field Station recently recovered two bone tools from a small site in Stephenson County.

  • ISAS staff excavating in the woods

    Western Illinois Field Station staff explore the 'Nile of North America'

    Sep 23, 2019 8:15 am
  • Fort Edwards State Memorial.

    Fort Edwards geophysical survey

    Sep 1, 2020 8:00 am
  • Assortment of projectile points collected by Ed Duling spanning nearly a 10,000 year period of time.

    Ed Duling arrowhead collection donation

    Oct 10, 2023 1:30 pm

    Ed Duling's lifelong passion for collecting Native American artifacts has found a lasting legacy at the Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS). His collection, painstakingly gathered over decades, is more than a mere assortment of arrowheads; it’s a testament to the rich tapestry of our heritage. Inspired by his unwavering dedication, his family, Sheryl Ketner and Noelle Walton, made a heartfelt decision – to contact ISAS to preserve their father's legacy and share it with the world.

  • 4 people excavating and screening

    Western Illinois Field Station evaluates sites related to U.S. 34 project

    Apr 29, 2019 2:30 pm
  • Tombstone of Priscilla "Mother" Baltimore

    Commemorating Freedom Village

    Jul 26, 2021 8:00 am