9 Things Archaeologists Discovered In South Carolina That Will Amaze You
South Carolina is chock full of history. One of the oldest colonies in South Carolina dates back to 1670, but they weren’t the first to settle here. We have discovered sites that have dated back farther than you could imagine. In fact, it’s quite amazing what secrets South Carolina holds. Here are 9 things that archaeologists have discovered in South Carolina that are really amazing.
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Two archaeologists found a treasure trove of a time gone by. What started out as research turned into a whole lot more. After 2 1/2 years of digging Jakob Crockett and his assistant, Joseph Johnson, found 60,000 artifacts that chronicle the lives of one African-American family.
Believe it or not this specific place covers 664 acres of what was the first permanent settlement of South Carolina. It's a really nice place to visit for a day with the family. They have an exhibit hall, a natural habitat zoo, a replica tall ship, and ongoing excavations.
Stone stellae were not supposed to be here in South Carolina or any state for that matter before Columbia, but they were. The SCIAA (South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology) have studied two sites in the northwestern part of South Carolina in Abbeville and Pickens. According to Tommy Charles, the site in Abbeville consists of piles of stone and circular stone walls that surround hills. The Pickens site shows parallel fieldstone retaining walls leading up the side the mountain. Although they say that more research is needed on these sites, they feel that these definitely pre-date colonization.
Once located at the northern back of the Tugaloo River, but has now been covered by Lake Hartwell. Excavations showed that the mound and village were built by the South Appalachian Mississippian culture.
Numerous sites exist in South Carolina, mostly on the barrier islands., that contain these curious rings. These shell rings are circles that were mostly made with oyster shells. Many believe they were made by the people of the village for made for games or ceremonial reasons. Some sites feature multiple rings.
There were many reservoirs built in the South during the 20th century. This lead to an increased interest in archeological investigation in the area. This particular site was documented showing human occupation from the Paleoindians all the way to Historic cultures. There were over 700 prehistoric and historic sites found here.
This is an exceptionally unique site and quite controversial among archaeologists. Some archaeologists believe that the artifacts found here predate the Clovis culture, who were previously thought to be the first inhabitants of North America, by more than 3,000 years. One piece that they have found dates 16,000 - 20,000 years before the Clovis culture.
9. Indian Artifacts in Florence County: This short video shows the discoveries in Florence County and gives the local natives a platform to discuss what they would like to see happen in the future.
When most think of South Carolina history they usually don’t think much further back than the colonization of the land by Europeans. We are now finding that the history of this land stretches much farther back. What do you think we’ll find? Tell us in the comments below!
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Gwen is an author, artist, illustrator, graphic designer, mother, wife, and part-time super hero. She loves to tackle her dreams head on and takes life by storm. Coffee is her best friend and a good book cannot be beat! When does she have the time, you ask? Well...do you really need that much sleep?
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