My Artifacts From The Excavation Site/A Ft Ancient Village Site

[The Grim Reaper]

For the past several years, going all the way back to 1995 when I found my first artifact there which was a nice Discoidal, I have been hunting a Ft Ancient village site and finding some very nice pieces. This site has been excavated numerous times, both professionally and by amateurs. I have even did a little digging around in some of the trash pits or middens on the site.

About 3 years ago a guy I know bought the site and began doing a dig of his own. He dug a ditch about 6 feet wide and 4 feet deep through one end of the site and began excavating on one side of the ditch and throwing the dirt behind him as he went. I got permission to surface hunt the piles after it rained and each time I went I found a few pieces. Most of what I found was broken or damaged because they were pieces that were coming from the middens, but occasionally I would find a really nice piece. The man digging this site didn't screen any of the dirt as he was excavating so he was missing quite a few pieces and as the rain washed down the piles more and more was becoming exposed for me to find.

Since he started his dig I have found close to 300 trayable artifacts including some very nice Beads of bone and shell, some nice Bone Tools, 6 Drilled Teeth, and a Pipe. I have posted a few of the items on here before in the past but I thought I would post everything that I have found there so far along with a few in situs of some of the better pieces. Hopefully PaleoJoe will see this and post some of his finds from here as well. He has quite a few killer pieces from this site including the double Drilled Tooth he just found.

First off I'll show a couple of pictures of the site so you can see what I'm talking about with the dirt piles we are looking through. Then I'll post some of the artifacts.

 

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[The Grim Reaper]

Here's a few pictures of some finds from each hunt. These are all already pictured above, but this right after I got home and cleaned them up.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Now for a few of the better in situ pictures.

 

[Cannonman17]

Every time you talk about this site or show pictures I get really jelous! You have some great stuff and I can only imagine how much more there might be there-

 

[Shemanese]

WOW--I can only imagine what was found in the past, and not just in the piles. In your second set of pics, #4 always reminds me of a finger. lol With as much as you have found, I'd be excited everytime I went there.

BTW, I guess we have never met. Lots of guys named Smith. Sorry for ding dong.

 

[pickaway]

Killer. im trying to get my uncle to come off his collection from around there.there was a site just south of lucasville we hunted when i was a kid, west side of 23 near the river now theres some sort of bldgs there but towards the back still looks to be farmed.you ever hunt that floodplain in PM just north of the car race track?

 

[Bent-Twig]

Dorkfish,

Would the owner allow you to screen/sift the dirt piles? You might be able to double your collection from that site by screening.


Happy Huntin' , Bent-Twig.

 

[mistergee]

this site never ceases to amaze me....some of the coolest finds come from there....your very lucky to be near and allowed to hunt there...truly a privelage...H.H.

 

[MichaelB]

Dude, you are killing me!!!! Great finds.

MichaelB

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Killer. im trying to get my uncle to come off his collection from around there.there was a site just north of lucasville we hunted when i was a kid, west side of 23 near the river now theres some sort of bldgs there but towards the back still looks to be farmed.you ever hunt that floodplain in PM just north of the car race track?

Yeah, I've tried those fields in the floodplain by the racetrack but never had much luck. There is one spot back there were the original town of Portsmouth, called Alexandria, was located that has produced some nice pieces over the years for a buddy of mine, but I never hunted it. He has some really nice Triangle Points, Glass Trade Beads, and some copper and brass Trinkets from there.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Dorkfish,

Would the owner allow you to screen/sift the dirt piles? You might be able to double your collection from that site by screening.


Happy Huntin' , Bent-Twig.

Trust me, I've asked him numerous times and he keeps telling that he is going to sift the piles and that he would rather I wouldn't. So far he hasn't touched them and they are getting to the point where they have set so long that you will have to dig them again with a shovel to get back into them.

 

[DreamcatcherNC]

Dorkfish,
That is really some great stuff. Must have been a heckuva camp/village at that site. Hopefully you'll be able to sift through that stuff. Guaranteed to fill your buckets with super artifacts. I use a hanging sifter (3x5) set up over a garden trailer/ATV which facilitates back-fill. Takes a lot of work outta the sifting process. Has the owner seen all the stuff you've pulled out of there? You're a pro for sure! Keep 'em coming.

 

[paleojoe]

O.k. Dorkfish,you called me out.I only have a few pictures from there with me right now.Here they are.

 

[WhiteCountyPaleo]

You guyz should get pics of what the guy digging found!

 

[pickaway]

You guys ever find 1 of those Ft ancient spools?

 

[mistergee]

the teeth and claws are my favorites....so cool

 

[The Grim Reaper]

You guyz should get pics of what the guy digging found!

He has an Archy helping him and they are supposed to do a paper on the site when they are finished. I have stopped and talked with them a few times and they are being hush hush about their finds, so either they aren't finding much or they are and just don't want anyone to know.

 

[*Molly*]

I'd be crawling around that site as to not miss ANYTHING..Siftings ok but, can't get great insitus, like Steve gets.
Great post,excellent insitus. Your village finds are fantastic.
Thanks for showing us

Molly.

 

[JimBeHuntin']

Wow!! Great site ... great finds ... great photos ... just great!! ~ Jimmy

 

[WhiteCountyPaleo]

You guyz should get pics of what the guy digging found!

He has an Archy helping him and they are supposed to do a paper on the site when they are finished. I have stopped and talked with them a few times and they are being hush hush about their finds, so either they aren't finding much or they are and just don't want anyone to know.

It must be just a rough summary of what is found. Why would
an archaeologist not use a screen? It must have been a test plot?
Way to go on the bone items!