Dickson Mounds: Analysis of an Historical Artifact*
The Museum's anthropology collection consists of more than 8 million (items) …and is among the most
extensive in the U.S. It is housed [in part at] the Dickson Mounds Museum in Lewistown. Prehistoric
artifacts from more than 2,000 sites represent every period of Native American prehistory ranging in age
from 12,000 years ago to about 300 years ago. Among the most important collections are those from
Modoc Rock Shelter and Cahokia Mounds, which is one of only two U. S. sites on the … United Nation's
World Heritage List. The collection includes outstanding examples of stone tools, pottery, bone, and shell
tools and ornaments, and sculpted stone pipes.
<http://www.museum.state.il.us/ismdepts/anthro/index.html>
Objective: to retrieve social, cultural, and historical information from an artifact by analyzing the artifact
in the method described below
Motivation: researching history through artifacts is the work of archeologists**. This type of science can
teach about human history – it provides us with information about people, events, culture and places –
and how that history relates to the present.
STEP 1
STEP 2
Procedure for when you visit Dickson Mounds on Wednesday:
1. Find an artifact at the museum
2. Inspect it, is anything written on it?
3. Are there clues about the object?
a. Read about it.
b. Ask questions about it. (E.g. what is it? What was it used for? Why is it
important? Etc.)
4. Take a picture of it
5. What do you know about the people, culture, place that it came from? Try to find out
as much information as you can.
**Important: take notes when visiting Dickson Mounds, don’t simply expect that you will
remember everything, or that you will be able to find more information online – this is
unlikely for specific artifacts.
Procedure for after visiting Dickson Mounds:
1. Do additional research (as needed) on the object through the use of the internet (we
will have some computer lab time on Friday, February 6).
2. Give a 1-2 minute presentation on the object. Your presentation should have the
following components:
a. A photo or visual that lets the listeners see the subject of your speech
b. Explain what it is, where did it come from, how was it used, and by whom?
c. Why is this information important? Synthesize what you know about the
object with the people, culture, and the place where it came from.
d. Show pictures in your presentation.
e. What did you learn from this assignment? Did anything about the artifact or
your visit to Dickson Mounds surprise you? Explain.
*artifact: a simple object (such as a tool or weapon) that was made by people in the past
** archeology is a science that deals with past human life and activities by studying the bones, tools,
etc., of ancient people
Timeline:
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Monday, Feb. 2 – Give assignment
Wednesday, Feb. 4 – Visit Dickson Mounds
Friday, Feb. 6 –Computer research/planning
Monday, Feb. 9 – Present in class
Grading:
The presentation should be between 1 and 2 minutes. You should have at least one visual (picture) to
bring up on the overhead, but no other technology is necessary.
See the rubric attached to our syllabus for how presentations will be assessed. The areas on the rubric
include: overall comprehensibility, content, grammar, pronunciation and fluency. Please read the rubric
and bring me questions on Friday!
You may use notecards during your presentation, but in order to score well in fluency it is best not to
simply read from notecards. Remember intonation makes speech more natural!
EXAMPLE: The object is referred to as a projectile point. This specific projectile point is dated to the
Early Woodland time period (600-100 B.C.). They are found throughout the Midwest, including Illinois.
American Indians made projectile points by hand. A projectile point is a stone object
that was chipped or ground into a sharp point and attached to a wooden shaft. It
was a weapon and a tool for hunting. They were also used as knives.
The chart here shows the timeline for
when different types of projectile points
were used. Through carbon dating,
archaeologists can now determine when
certain projectile points were used.
Most projectile points from this area
were made from Chert which is found in limestone.
Limestone is common in the land around the Illinois River
Valley.
Native Americans used projectile points as tips on their
lances, spears, darts, and arrows, all weapons used primarily
for hunting, occasionally fishing, and sometimes combat. The
sharp point and edges of the projectile point, when propelled with sufficient force, penetrated the hide
of an animal. The substantial amount of animal bone found at Native American sites is clear evidence of
their hunting prowess and the effectiveness of their weapons.
*artifact: a simple object (such as a tool or weapon) that was made by people in the past
** archeology is a science that deals with past human life and activities by studying the bones, tools,
etc., of ancient people