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May Meeting
May 9 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Illinois Valley Mississippian Origins Project Archeologists
Dr. Dana Bardolph, Dr. Gregory Wilson, & Dr. Christina Friberg
present
Uncovering Indigenous History in the Illinois Valley
Long before statehood and the arrival of French colonists in the Illinois Country in 1673 , Native American groups with ancestral ties to the Peoria Lake region thrived for twelve millennia . We present an overview of our current archaeological research in Woodford and Tazewell counties during the Mississippian period, including our recent excavations at the Early Mississippian Fandel Mounds site (1050 – 1100 AD) as well as our upcoming field project at the Late Mississippian Ten Mile Creek site (1200-1400 AD).
Bios: Dr. Dana Bardolph is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Northern Illinois University and a specialist in paleoethnobotany, the analysis and interpretation of archaeological plant remains to provide information about the relationship between people and plants in the past. She has 14 years of experience in Midwestern and Andean archaeology. She has co-directed the Illinois Valley Mississippian Origins Project since 2018 and is a Special Advisor for Archaeology at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.
Dr. Gregory Wilson is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Santa Barbara, California. He has methodological specialization in ceramic analysis, lithic analysis, remote sensing, and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) with over 35 years of experience in Midwestern and Southeastern archaeology . Dr. Wilson is the author of The Archaeology of Everyday Life at Early Moundville and editor of The Archaeology of Food and Warfare and Mississippian Beginnings. He has co-directed the Illinois Valley Mississippian Origins Project since 2018 and also serves as a Special Advisor for Archaeology at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.
Dr. Christina Friberg is an Assistant Research Scientist at the Indiana University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and an expert in archaeological remote sensing (geophysics). She has 17 years of experience in Midwestern and Southeastern archaeology. Dr. Friberg is the author of The Making of Mississippian Tradition and recently co-edited a special issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports on “Exploring Mississippian Landscape Modification and Identity Construction through Geophysics.” She has been a member of the Illinois Valley Mississippian Origins Project since 2019.
Short Business Meeting will follow.
