Archaeology Of Conneaut Fort

Archaeology Of Conneaut Fort. . , Today, much more accurate information is known about the prehistoric occupation of Conneaut Fort thanks to scientific excavations conducted by a team from Case Western Reserve University in 1971. The styles of pottery and projectile points found at the site revealed that it was likely occupied just once, during the Late Woodland period (ca. A.D. 950 1350). The location of the site adjacent to Conneaut Creek and within short traveling distance to Lake Eric would have allowed the inhabitants to practice both hunting and fishing as well as maize agriculture., A number of archaeological features were identified at the site, including subsurface hearths, trash pits, storage pits, and post molds (indicating structure locations). Two of the pit features exhibited multiple layers of soil and refuse, indicating that the site might have been occupied over a period of several years. Analysis of food remains from the features (including animal bones and plant Scene depicting a Late Woodland village in Ohio where Native Americans can be seen making arrows and working pottery, Painting by Susan Walton., The floodplain of Conneaut Creek below Conneaut Fort was likely used primarily for foraging activities - hunting, fishing and gathering of edible plants. An archaeological survey of a 15-acre portion of the floodplain was conducted on behalf of the Ashtabula County Metroparks by The Mannik and Smith Group, Inc. in 2019. This survey found only two artifacts, located in a small area near the base of the bluff. Both artifacts are what archaeologists call "lithic debitage," or the debris left over from the process of creating stone tools. These artifacts may date to any time during prehistory and reinforce the interpretation that the Late Woodland occupants of Conneaut Fort used the floodplain primarily for foraging activities rather than as living space.