American Indian settlement found in Roanoke

July 11, 2004

ROANOKE, Va. --Archaeologists have uncovered pottery pieces, spear tips made of quartz and a large cooking area in an American Indian settlement dating back to the 13th century.

The dig is the latest of several that have taken place over the last few decades along the Roanoke River. A series of floods, which may have forced the group to leave, protected the artifacts and kept them from becoming mixed with the remnants of later civilizations, said Bill Stanyard, a senior archaeologist at the site.

"It's unusual for it to be so well preserved," Stanyard said of the site.

Stanyard's team of a dozen archaeologists plan to continue excavating the 8,000-square-foot site for the next several weeks.

The archaeologists work for TRC Companies Inc., a provider of technical, financial risk management and construction services. The Windsor, Conn.-based company is handling the digs under a contract issued by the Army Corps of Engineers. The archaeological work was required as part of a planned flood reduction project along the river's 10-mile stretch through the city.

More than a year ago, a pile of old charred rocks was found along the river, signaling the need to do the more extensive archaeological dig now under way, Stanyard said.

The team of archaeologists is conducting its work to make sure artifacts aren't destroyed before they can be dug up. But, he added, the group's backhoe operator can clear just a couple of inches of soil at a time from the top of the site.

At the latest site along the river, archaeologists found an area where the early American Indians cooked, skinned and processed deer.

"This site is important because it ... makes a more complete picture of the social landscape at the time," Stanyard said.

When the dig is complete, the settlement will be mapped and the artifacts will be stored by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources to be made available to researchers or museums. The site will then be wiped out when the river channel is widened for flood reduction.

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Information from: The Roanoke Times