900-year-old figurine uncovered in Illinois

[erinhickey]

900-year-old figurine uncovered in Illinois

July 24, 2010 (BELLEVILLE, Ill.) -- If just one more shovel of earth had been removed, the curious figurine of a kneeling woman carved about 900 years ago might have ended up in a 19th century curio shop.

Or lost forever.

Instead, archaeology graduate student Steve Boles found the rare, 6-inch-high artifact this spring at a massive archaeological dig now under way at the old National Stock Yards to make way for construction of a new $670 million Mississippi River bridge. The figurine and the whole excavation have caused great excitement among archaeology professionals and students.

The sheer size of the dig and the discovery of a buried city dating to around 1050 A.D. -- the same time that mound and city building also took off at nearby Cahokia Mounds -- has raised hope that an old archaeological puzzle may finally be solved: Where did the Mississippians -- a non-nomadic, warrior-based agricultural society -- come from and why did they build on such a grand scale?

More here.

[Steve Valentine]

Nice article, but I would have liked to see some pictures of the figurine.

Thanks for the link.

[erinhickey]

Nice article, but I would have liked to see some pictures of the figurine.

Yeah, I felt the same way. I hope they will be forthcoming. Fascinating story anyway...