The most amazing thing I have ever excavated is actually the icon I use for this blog. While excavating a woodland era site near Canton, Illinois, we found two beautiful owl effigy pots. Let me explain my jargon before I lose too many of you.
The woodland period was from 3,000 years ago to 1,000 years ago. A time when agriculture and pottery blossomed throughout North America. Effigy pots are ceramics formed to mimic the look of animals.
The pots were sitting side-by-side in the soil, one taller and more detailed, the second smaller and more basic. The taller one is the icon I use and is on display at the Illinois State Museum in Springfield, Illinois. The pots are so well preserved that the the original makers fingernail and fingerprints are still visible.
The final analysis showed the larger pot held grains of a primitive corn and the smaller held Ochre. Ochre is a natural mineral that can occur in red and yellow throughout the country. The pigment wthe theas used for painting and religous body decorations.
The fingerprints gave me an instant human connection across centuries. Secondly the beauty of the art created by a "primitive" people living in the woods.
Have you ever found something old that amazed you with it's beauty or advanced design?
What a wonderful experience and neat find. I've never found more than a few shards that were meaningless to me.
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