The archaeology of Iowa is the study of the buried remains of human culture within the U.S. state of Iowa from the earliest prehistoric through the late historic periods. When the American Indians first arrived in what is now Iowa more than 13,000 years ago, they were hunters and gatherers living in a Pleistocene glacial landscape. By the time European explorers visited Iowa, American Indians were largely settled farmers with complex economic, social, and political systems. This transformation happened gradually. During the Archaic period (10,500–2,800 years ago) American Indians adapted to local environments and ecosystems, slowly becoming more sedentary as populations increased. More than 3,000 years ago, during the Late Archaic period, American Indians in Iowa began utilizing domesticated plants. The subsequent Woodland period saw an increase on the reliance on agriculture and social complexity, with increased use of mounds, ceramics, and specialized subsistence. During the Late Prehistoric period (beginning about AD 900) increased use of maize and social changes led to social flourishing and nucleated settlements. The arrival of European trade goods and diseases in the Protohistoric period led to dramatic population shifts and economic and social upheaval, with the arrival of new tribes and early European explorers and traders. During the Historical period European traders and American Indians in Iowa gave way to American settlers and Iowa was transformed into an agricultural state.
Iowa archaeologists
Archaeologists have studied the prehistory of Iowa since the mid-19th century, when large American Indian mounds were first observed along the Mississippi. Early archaeologists such as S.V. Proudfit and Theodore Lewis documented large sites such as earthworks, mounds, and earthlodges.Proudfit, S. V. (1880) Antiquities of the Missouri Bluffs. American Antiquarian 3:271–280; Lewis, Theodore H. (1885) Effigy Mounds in Iowa. Science 6(146):453–454 Truly systematic recording of Iowa sites began with Charles R. Keyes and Ellison Orr’s surveys and excavations beginning in the 1920s. Documenting hundreds of sites, often just before they disappeared under the plow, Keyes’ and Orr’s work led to the formation of the Iowa Archaeological Survey, the Iowa Archeological Society, and the designation of Effigy Mounds National Monument. After their deaths in 1951, the Survey was disbanded, and their efforts were continued by the University of Iowa’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology, which formed the Office of the State ArchaeologistIowa Office of the State Archaeologist, (OSA) in 1959. The OSA maintains an extensive list of more than 23,000 recorded archaeological sites in Iowa, and conducts survey and excavation across the state. Other institutions conducting archaeological research in Iowa include the State Historical Society of Iowa, the Iowa Archeological Society, the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, Grinnell College, Luther College, and private archaeological firms. Professional archaeologists in Iowa are represented by the Association of Iowa Archaeologists.Association of Iowa Archaeologists, Iowa archaeology grew dramatically beginning in the 1960s with the introduction of Cultural Resources Management legislation that required archaeological survey and excavation at many federal projects in Iowa.
Paleoindian (13,500–10,500 years ago)
Paleoindian hunters and gatherers were the first occupants of Iowa, entering the state at the end of the Pleistocene glacial period. At the time the state was covered by tundra, conifer forests, and deciduous forests. Areas immediately north of Des Moines extending to Minnesota were covered by the receding Des Moines Lobe, a large glacier system. Highly mobile, their sites are scattered across Iowa and are noted for their large stone points. While Paleoindians were traditionally viewed as big game hunters, more recent research suggests much of their subsistence was derived from small game and wild plants. Paleoindian points are found throughout Iowa, but almost no intact Paleoindian sites have been excavated, probably because they were ephemeral and are now either destroyed by plowing or are very deeply buried in river valleys.Iowa's Earliest Residents,
Clovis and other Early Paleoindian The oldest artifacts found in Iowa are Clovis points, large lanceolate points found occasionally in all parts of the state except for the Des Moines Lobe. Possible sources of game were giant Pleistocene megafauna, including mammoth, mastodon, and giant forms of bison, all of which are now extinct. While widespread, only two Clovis sites have been excavated in Iowa. The Rummells-Maske site is a Clovis site in Cedar County; unfortunately, this site was damaged by plowing, although 20 points and point fragments were recovered.Anderson, Adrian D., and Joseph A. Tiffany (1972) Rummells-Maske: A Clovis Find-Spot in Iowa. Plains Anthropologist 17:55–59 The Carlisle Clovis Cache Site in Warren County contained 38 unfinished stone tools that appear to date to the Clovis period, but these results have not yet been published.The Carlisle Cache,
Other Iowa Early Paleoindian points include Gainey, a point that appears to be intermediate between Clovis and Folsom. Gainey points were also recovered at Rummells-Maske. While Folsom points are found throughout Iowa, especially western Iowa, none have been excavated in a well-preserved site.Alex 2000:49–50; Morrow, Julie, "The Early Paleoindian Period"
Dalton and other Late Paleoindian At the beginning of the glacial-free Holocene Epoch, humans in Iowa utilized projectile point found throughout the mid-continent, including Dalton, Fayette, Agate Basin, and Hell Gap. Humans were still highly mobile, and by this time most of the Pleistocene megafauna had gone extinct. As with the Early Paleoindian period, no intact Late Paleoindian sites have been excavated in Iowa.Alex 2000:50–53
Archaic Period The Archaic is the longest period of Iowa prehistory, lasting about 8,000 years. Overall, populations appear to have increased in Iowa during the Archaic, despite a changing climate. During this time American Indians transitioned from highly mobile hunters and gatherers with large ranges towards a focus on local resources and ecosystems. Domesticated plants appeared in Iowa towards the end of the Archaic.
Early Archaic (10,500–7,500 years ago) During the Early Archaic period regional variation in point forms is seen in Iowa, and Indians adapted to more localized forms of hunting and gathering while probably maintaining seasonal movements from camp to camp. Common stone tool types are Corner-notched St. Charles points and Thebes Knives. Soon Hardin and Kirk points appear in Iowa as well.Morrow, Toby; "The Late Paleoindian/Early Archaic Period" Excavated Early Archaic sites in Iowa include the Soldow Site,Flanders, Richard E. (1977) The Soldow Site, 13HB1: An Archaic Component from North Central Iowa. Journal of the Iowa Archeological Society 24:125– 147 Horizons IIIa and II of the Cherokee Sewer Site,Anderson, Duane C., and Holmes A. Semken, Jr. (eds.) (1980) The Cherokee Excavations: Holocene Ecology and Human Adaptations in Northwestern Iowa. Academic Press, New York and the Simonsen Site.Frankforter, W. D., and George A. Agogino (1960) The Simonsen Site: Report for the Summer of 1959. Plains Anthropologist 5:65–70
Middle Archaic (7,500–5,000 years ago) Temperatures rose in the mid-continent during the Middle Archaic, a warming trend known as the Hypsithermal. Grasslands expanded east, forests became less common, and many Iowa lakes shrank or disappeared. Humans responded by diversifying their subsistence strategy: eastern Iowa saw a shift towards river resources, and western Iowa towards Plains resources. Excavated sites in eastern and central Iowa include the Palace Site, the Brash Site,Collins, James M. (1995) Lithic Technology and Temporal Variation at a Chert Workshop in Central Iowa. Journal of the Iowa Archeological Society 42:8–20 the Gast Spring Site, and the Ed’s Meadow Site.Morrow, Toby A. (1998) Phase III Excavations at the Ed’s Meadow Site (13DM712). Office of the State Archaeologist, University of Iowa, Iowa City Western Iowa sites include the Turin Site,Fisher, Alton K. (1985) Turin: A Middle Archaic Burial Site in Western Iowa. Plains Anthropologist 30:195–218 Horizon I of the Cherokee Sewer Site, and the Pony Creek Site.Reeves, Brian (1973) The Concept of an Altithermal Cultural Hiatus in Northern Plains Prehistory. American Anthropologist 75:1221–1253
Late Archaic (5,000–2,800 years ago) In the Late Archaic the climate became more similar to modern with the end of the Hypsithermal. The number of Late Archaic Sites increased in Iowa, perhaps reflective of increased populations allowed by climate change and new subsistence strategies. The Late Archaic sees the first indication of mound building in Iowa, as well as direct evidence of domesticated plants, and large, long-term settlements. The Red Ocher Culture appeared in northeast Iowa, associated with copper artifacts and mound building. Numerous Late Archaic sites have been excavated in eastern Iowa, some showing the gradual adaptation of cultigens, including squash, little barley, marsh elder, and barnyard grass.Crops of Ancient Iowa, Sites with evidence for early cultigens in Iowa include the Edgewater Park Site in Coralville, the Gast Spring Site,Dunne, Michael T., and William Green (1998) Terminal Archaic and Early Woodland Plant Use at the Gast Spring Site (13LA152), Southeast Iowa. Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology 23(1):45–88 and the Sand Run Slough West Site.Alex 2000:76–77 In western Iowa, Late Archaic sites are common, however large bison killing or processing sites are less common than before, and there is little evidence for the use of domesticated plants.Alex 2000:78–79
Woodland Period
During the Woodland period, many American Indians in Iowa shifted away from hunting and gathering and used more domesticated plants, although wild food was still important. Ceramics, the bow and arrow, burial mounds, and evidence of political and social hierarchy became common at Woodland sites in Iowa.
Early Woodland (800 BC–200 BC) The Early Woodland period saw the introduction of ceramics to Iowa, including Marion Thick and Black Sand types. Marion Thick may have originated with the nucleated Late Archaic cultures of the Upper Midwest, and was widespread in distribution.Alex 2000:88; Klippel, Walter E. (1972) An Early Woodland Period Manifestation in the Prairie Peninsula. Journal of the Iowa Archeological Society 19:1–91 Early Woodland Indians in eastern Iowa built large burial mounds in the Mississippi River region, and participated in long-distance trade of exotic raw material. This long-distance trade may have been the forerunner of the later Havanna-Hopewell trading sphere. In north-central Iowa, Early Woodland peoples appear to have interacted more directly with the Prairie Lakes region of Minnesota. Numerous Early Woodland sites have been excavated in Iowa, including the Gast Spring Site, and many sites which have not been formally published.Alex 2000:87–98
Middle Woodland (200 BC–400 AD)