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- Title
SALVAGE EXCAVATIONS AT THE SAND DRIVE SITE (11MS1460), HORSESHOE LAKE STATE PARK, MADISON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
- Authors
COBB, DAWN E.
- Abstract
The Sand Drive site (11MS1460) is a multi-component habitation and mortuary site located on Walker's Island, Horseshoe Lake State Park, in Madison County, Illinois. Long term erosion of the northern tip of the island exposed a prehistoric human grave. Much of the grave feature and skeleton had either slumped to the beach below or had eroded away into the lake. Salvage excavations of the in situ feature remnant and slump deposits documented a partial adult skeleton and several diagnostic artifacts that included pottery sherds (grit-tempered cord-marked and plain, polished shell-tempered) and triangular projectile points. Two points were made from locally available Burlington chert and the third point was made from Hixton silicified sandstone. The diagnostic artifacts indicate a Late Woodland to Early Mississippian origin for the feature although Early Mississippian is more likely. The adult skeleton was between 30 and 40 years of age at death and was likely a female. Cut marks, indicative of scalping, were present on the cranium. The presence of projectile points, typically a status item in American Bottom Mississippian graves, is an unusual inclusion with a female. This paper interprets the grave feature within the regional Mississippian mortuary programs.
- Subjects
MADISON County (Ill.); POTTERY; ARCHAEOLOGICAL surveying; ARCHAEOLOGICAL excavations; NATURAL resources
- Publication
Illinois Archaeology: Journal of the Illinois Archaeology Survey, 2017, Vol 29, p53
- ISSN
1050-8244
- Publication type
Article