Answering your questions

Our Top 10 FAQ.

1. We are archaeologists excavating three ancient Native American archaeological sites where Highway 116 crosses Palmetto Creek. The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) will be realigning this busy highway to eliminate dangerous curves and narrow bridges. GDOT is following federal regulations that require archaeological studies before construction begins.
2. No, we are not “from the university” and we are not students. We are professional archaeologists, usually with anthropology degrees and years of specialized training. We work for a private consulting firm called Southern Research, a GDOT contractor headquartered in Waverly Hall, Georgia. We work throughout the southeastern U. S. preserving history and prehistory for future generations.
3. No, we do not find gold. We do find stone tools such as arrowheads, spear points, scrapers, knives, drills and fired clay pottery sherds.
4. No, we don’t dig up dinosaur bones. We are anthropologists and we study past cultures and human behavior. We are looking for clues about how people lived here 2,000 years ago by studying the artifacts and soil stains that remain.
5. We can date the artifacts because the shapes of arrowheads and the decorations on pottery change through time. Thanks to a century of archaeological research in Georgia and radiocarbon dating, we have a good idea of when certain styles were popular and when they disappeared in the archaeological record. These archaeological sites we are excavating date to the Archaic and Woodland Periods, or about from around 9,000 BC to AD 1,000.
6. No, we don't keep what we find. All of the artifacts, records, and notes from these sites are public property. We will study the artifacts in the lab, write a report about site discoveries, and when finished, turn the artifacts and notes over to the University of West Georgia for permanent safe keeping. The information from the work can be studied in the future and the artifacts from the past displayed in libraries and museum exhibits as well as on internet sites.
7. We are looking for places where Native Americans established camp sites and possibly small settlements in the past by locating the discarded refuse and features like fire pits, storage pits and post hole stains from dwellings.
8. Much of this site is deeply buried in the floodplain. We will use backhoes and other heavy equipment to remove the overburden covering the archaeological sites before we hand excavate the deposits.
9. At present, unscheduled visitors are not permitted on site because of safety considerations. Please revisit this web page for updates on what we are finding.
10. Yes, we get paid for this (not enough, of course!) Archaeologists love their jobs, but we have bills, too!