The Daily Journalist.
Curator of Archaeology Dr. Brian Redmond published findings on the Early Woodland occupation at theHeckelman site in Erie County. The paper, “Connecting Heaven and Earth: Interpreting Early Woodland Nonmortuary Ceremonialism in Northern Ohio,” was published in the Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology early in 2016.
Redmond’s investigations each summer from 2009 to 2013 uncovered an unusual oval ditch enclosure, which has never been recorded in the region. The prehistoric ditch enclosed a 2-acre ridge top surrounded by clusters of freestanding ritual poles and pits that exhibit evidence of the preparation and serving ceremonial meals. These poles were deeply set in the ground, measured between 10 and 20 inches in diameter, and may have stood 10 to 12 feet high.
“The Heckelman site is unlike anything found in the lower Great Lakes of the United States,” said Redmond. “Most contemporary sites in Ohio focused on burial ceremonies and the building of mounds. To find evidence of life celebrations is an unexpected and exciting discovery. It gives us surprising insights about these prehistoric Ohioans that lived nearly 2,300 years ago.”
The excavations revealed circular post molds, or organic stains in the soil that indicate the presence of wooden posts or poles arranged in clusters. The work exposed midden (trash) deposits and pits filled with charcoal deposits indicative of cooking. The poles were not part of any structure or building but likely served a symbolic, ceremonial function. The project team discovered hundreds of artifacts, including pottery, food remains, spear tips, flint knives and stone tools that were not related to domestic or everyday living. The specimens have been cataloged and have been accessioned into the Museum’s archaeology collections.
Field image of one of the largest and deepest post molds recorded during excavations at the Heckelman archaeological site in northern Ohio. The post pit feature uncovered at the Heckelman site was surrounded by a cluster of posts erected by prehistoric Ohio people about 2,300 years ago.
This spear tip was among hundreds of artifacts discovered at the prehistoric ceremonial site in Milan, Ohio by a team from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
This pottery fragment was likely used in the preparation and serving of ceremonial meals at a Native American site in Ohio established around 300 BC.
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Dr. Brian Redmond (left) supervises the exposure of a prehistoric pit feature by volunteers of the Firelands Archaeological Research Center at the Heckelman site in 2012.
A hilltop site in Milan, Ohio located on a bluff overlooking the Huron River was likely a prehistoric ceremonial site for Early Woodland people 2,300 years ago
Topographic setting of the Heckelman site complex in Milan, Ohio showing positions of earthwork features and creek drainages.
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The Heckelman excavations were conducted as part of Redmond’s ongoing research in northern Ohio prehistory. Redmond has devoted much of his career to understanding the prehistory of the Midwestern United States. His findings and interpretations of evidence of the region’s first human residents is helping to clarify our understanding of the cultures that prevailed from the end of the last ice age to the start of recorded history in Ohio.
