Archeology: A look at our past along Route 61 in Clark
and Lewis Counties
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The Avenue
of the Saints project covers approximately
15 miles within Lewis and Clark Counties in Missouri. Prior
archaeological investigations for the Lewis County section
of the project, covering approximately 6 linear miles, documented
numerous archaeological sites containing prehistoric components.
In simple terms, maybe as far back as 11,000 years ago people
passed through the area and left some of their belongings
behind. Since then, many years of rains and floods buried
the artifacts in soil deposits of area fields in Lewis and
Clark Counties.
What is
archaeology? Archaeology is the science of the
study of the past as it relates to people. Archaeology is
concerned with studying and conserving or saving the physical
remains of past cultures. These remains need to be preserved
because they are rare and the information that we learn
is very valuable. We learn fascinating information about
how people adjusted to their living conditions, their art,
food, housing, travel patterns, and other interesting information.
Archaeology is not an adventure like
you would see in an Indiana Jones movie, although it can
be very exciting. Archaeologists have a great love for our
heritage, which includes our recent history as well as ancient,
prehistoric cultures. Archaeologists are like detectives,
searching for clues to reconstruct and understand the lives
of ancient peoples. Each clue they find can bring us all
closer to a better understanding of how present cultures
developed. Clues can be artifacts like stone or bone tools,
pottery, or elaborate ornaments. They can be features, like
house mounds, hearths, storage pits and depressions, or
burials. Even the smallest stone flake, or fragment of animal
bone can help tell the archaeologist more about how people
lived in the past.
