The Archaeology of Man’s Best Friend

The Archaeology of Man’s Best Friend:
Recent Studies of Prehistoric Dogs in Illinois
Coming In May, Guest Speaker Steven R. Kuehn

Human company of Fido frequently has been a prescribed treatment for psychologically disturbed individuals and many hospitals allow patients pet visits. Canines were among the first domestication successes. But what is the archaeological New World account?

That question will be broached when Dr. Steven R. Kuehn shares with us the story of “man’s best friend” in ancient Illinois. Dr. Kuehn will be the guest speaker of the Chicago Archaeological Society at the Evanston Library, May 22, 3:00 pm.

Primates have done rather well since their adoption by canines which has been somewhat checkered by a human inclination to consort with other species even elipines, piscine and argh!— felines. Admittedly wearisome global areas exist e.g. the Middle East which to the pre-sent day roils in canine disfavor—pity the porcines—lowest on the social scale.

The first domesticated dogs appeared some 30,000 years ago, and in North America domesticated dog remains are found at Paleoindian through Historic Period archaeological sites. The role and treatment of dogs among Native American groups, however, has var-ied considerably over time. Throughout prehistory, dogs were used for hunting, hauling, and guarding camps, and played a part in feasts and ritual events.

Recent archaeological investigations at the Janey B. Goode, East St. Louis, and Fish Lake sites in the American Bottom region of Illinois have result-ed in the recovery of thousands of animal remains, including nearly 150 dog burials. Ongoing study of these animals provides important insight on the changing role of domesticated dogs during the Late Prehistoric period in Illinois.

Following a brief overview of dog archaeology in Illinois, Zooarchaeologist Steven Kuehn will discuss his recent work with the Janey B. Goode, East St. Louis, and Fish Lake dogs and how this information is providing a much more detailed picture on the prehistory of “man’s best friend.”


Mr. Steven R. Kuehn
The Archaeology of Man’s Best Friend: Recent Studies of Prehistoric Dogs in Illinois
May 22, 2016 

Meetings are at 3:00 p.m. at the

Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Avenue, Evanston 60201-3886

By Robert Stelton, Editor of the Codex

The Palimpsest

Our Wonderful Technological Age.

When we finally surrendered to pro-gress and welcomed the personal computer a new world was at our fingertips! A technological revolution liberated our imagination when it became possible to produce long documents and correct errors without starting over.
The pc saved precious time for other projects. But…slowly it became a time-burner. Time saved was spent discovering archaeological news and its dissemination. Journeys into

YouTube offered vicarious travel experiences and a torrent of information inundated web pages for you to read, copy and circulate!

Moreover everyday business email began to fill our Inbox and we found that our telephone services, medical services, gas companies, electric ser-vices, garbage pick-up were all con-tacting us as about this and that (as well as their competitors). They were giving us choices or complaining about our garbage.

Daily checking email became a chore that produced a defensive reaction— a reluctance to share email addresses.

Your email address security and privacy is important to the CAS. We do not share your address with third par-ties. Group mailings e.g. the Codex are blind and if requested your ad-dress is removed from the CAS directory.

If you have not received CAS email information and wish to receive future mailings you may contact meximayan@meximayan.com. Or post your address on the meeting signup sheet. Please print clearly using large block letters. For special contacts a phone number is also requested.
Get Ready for Halloween!

Caught your attention? Everyone needs a mask. I mean an antique Guatemalan dance mask, or an African devil mask. Maybe you or a friend needs a Zulu shield or a Balinese pup-pet or a small antique Peruvian house-hold god, Pachamama. You can choose from the CAS collection of donated objects from MexiMayan travelers.

You can go online to Etsy and Lost Antiquities Found and Doreen Stelton, Jr. will sell you your choice, or your friend’s choice or your friend’s choice for a gift for Father’s Day. Sale Items so marked will benefit the CAS.

By Deb Stelton 

Venue change successful

CAS April meeting bridges a temporary hiatus from Evanston
Was there a Mississippian/Oneota culture war?

April 24, 2016 was an excellent day for its meeting at the Chica-go Sulzer Regional Library. As explained in the March edition of the Codex the meeting venue for April had been moved from the Evanston Library to the Sulzer Library.

The April hiatus from the Evanston Library has been an an-nual event for many years. In the past the move was simply across the street to the Merion Hotel. But changes at the Meri-on have made a new April venue peremptory and CAS Pro-gram Chair and Vice President, Lucy Kennedy was up to the challenge. Scoping the situa-tion she arranged for the CAS to meet at the Sulzer Library.

However, even as a search for an April demanded immedi-ate attention word came that the post meeting restaurant favorite, Dave's Italian Res-taurant on Chicago Avenue had closed permanently. That matter was settled at the An-nual Board Meeting again with Lucy's help with a deci-sion to meet at Olive Moun-tain Restaurant, 610 Davis, after the May meeting.

The Sulzer with its auditorium was an excellent substitution for the Evanston Library. It is large and amply supplied with tables and chairs and excellent acoustics.

The traditional post meeting casual dinner at Gideon Welles' Craft Beer Bar & Kitchen was, simply put-fun! It was a balmy beautiful day and many of Gid-eon's were dining al fresco. The CAS dined within where it en-joyed an intriguing menu and an overwhelming selection of beers and wine. The waitress was totally helpful while taking orders and explaining beer offering and menu details.

With much said about the meeting logistics the Codex must not overlook the excel-lent presentation of the April Guest Speaker Dr. Michael Conner.

Dr. Conner's intriguing and important subject, Archaeology of the Morton Oneota and Mississippian Site, Fulton County, Illinois, provided a metaphor for con-temporary problems as well as underscoring implications for the future and a basis for understanding similar events, like the rise and fall of ancient Pre-Columbian Teotihuacan in the Valley of Mexico.

The Mississippians:

A mound-building Native American civilization flour-ished in what is now the Mid-western, Eastern, and South-eastern United States from approximately C.E. 8oo to 1600.

The Oneota,

Sharing somewhat parallel Mississippian dates and shared artifacts as well as cultural aspects. However it's unclear whether they developed in situ out of Late Woodland cultures or wheth-er there was an invasive mix-ing of peoples and artifacts.

Because Dr. Conner was active in the archaeology of the Morton Site, in the Illinois River Valley his presentation at the April, CAS Meeting is significant.

The Morton site was first documented by archaeologists from the University of Chica-go in 1930. Over the next few years, they explored parts of the village and cemetery areas of the site. Lying along the bluff top overlooking the Illi-nois River valley, the Morton site was home to Native Americans periodically over several hundred years. Some-how the first excavations missed (or ignored) a low mound at the top of a steep slope.

Decades later archaeologists were called in to document how the mound had been built and to remove the human re-mains. They discovered a 700-year-old cemetery used by Oneota people. At the time, archaeologists knew very little about Oneota people and their way of life in Illinois.

The mound was carefully excavated and documented, as was the habitation site. We now know much more about the Oneota. Osteological—scientists, who study the skeleton, learned how long people lived, how tall they were, how healthy they were, and they learned about how their society was organized.

They also discovered a grim truth-Morton Site remains revealed ghastly traumas indicating that many of the interments had been badly injured or killed. Archaeologists do not know exactly who was involved in the conflict or why it occurred, but this information adds to our understanding of life in Illinois 300 years before the arrival of the first French explorers and it may illuminate the consequences of the Mississippian/Oneota confrontation.

Archaeological exploration at the Morton Site has provided a wealth of new understanding. But it seems that the new understanding has present-ed new challenges.

by Robert Stelton, Editor of the Codex

Local Event Calendar

South Suburban Archaeological Society,
18442 Gottschalk Ave, Homewood. 7:30 pm, June 16,
Dr. Emily Teeter: Three Egyptian Collections in Chicago and How They Came To Be.

Friends of the Chicago Portage Tours
4800 S. Harlem 10:00 –12 pm 1st Saturday of each month continuing through November 5,2016.

Oriental Institute.
1155 E 58th St, Chicago, IL 60637  7:00 pm, June 1,
Irving Finkel: The Ark Before Noah: A Great Adventure & Book Signing. 
Irving Finkel Assistant Keeper, The Department of the Middle East, The British Museum. This talk, illustrated by a PowerPoint, will describe what befell the speaker after one quite remarkable cuneiform tablet was brought for examination to the British Museum in London. The inscription on this four-thousand year old tablet led to a series of altogether unexpected discoveries, demanding a
whole new look at Noah and his Ark, and culminating in a book and a documentary film WTTW Nova .