Archeological Site No. 29-64 facts for kids

Archeological Site No. 29-64 is a very old place in Islesboro, Maine. It's like a time capsule showing us how people lived long, long ago. This site has special piles of shells called "shell middens." Inside these piles, archaeologists found traces of ancient homes. These homes were dug partly into the ground, like "pit-houses." This site is one of the best examples of these types of homes in all of northeastern North America. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Discovering an Ancient Home

Islesboro is an island in Penobscot Bay, Maine. This bay cuts deep into the coast. On one side of Islesboro, there's a big shell midden. This midden is a large pile of shells left by ancient people. Archaeologists from the Maine State Museum studied this site. They did some digging in 1980.

What Did They Find?

The top of the shell midden had several round, crater-like dips. Scientists thought these might be old house pits. They were arranged in two rows of three. These pits were next to the coastline. Each pit was about 3 to 4 meters (10 to 13 feet) wide.

In 1980, archaeologists dug a long trench. It was about 13 meters (43 feet) long. This trench went through several of these pits. The digging showed that these were indeed old house sites.

Inside the Ancient Homes

Each house pit had about 20 centimeters (8 inches) of clean soil on top. Below this was a layer where people used to live. In this living layer, archaeologists found many things. They found rocks that had been heated by fire. They also found charcoal from old fires.

There were pieces of pottery and stone tools. They even found small flakes of stone. These flakes are called "debitage." They are left over from making stone tools. The round house areas were surrounded by banks of clam shells. These shells had fallen over time.

Trenches leading away from the houses also had more trash. This included more shells and other items. The stone tools and pottery found here are similar to others in the region. These types of items date back to about 500 CE. That means they are about 1,500 years old!

Why This Site Is Special

These ancient house pits are very well-preserved. Many similar sites in the northeastern United States have been damaged. They might have been worn away by weather or by people. But this site avoided such damage.

These types of houses were not used by Native American communities when Europeans first arrived. So, sites like this are very important. They give us a special look into the area's prehistory. They help us understand how people lived long before written records.