Bullskin Creek Site facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Bullskin Creek Site
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View from the southeast
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Felicity, Ohio |
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| Area | 3 acres (12,000 m2) |
| NRHP reference No. | 78002022 |
| Added to NRHP | March 30, 1978 |
The Bullskin Creek Site is a special place in southwestern Ohio. It's an archaeological site, which means it's a spot where people lived long ago, and we can find clues about their lives. This site is near a town called Felicity in Clermont County.
Scientists believe this site was a main camp for nomads (people who moved around a lot) during the Late Archaic period. This was a very long time ago! The site has three main parts, including a large midden (which is like an ancient trash pile).
Discovering Life at Bullskin Creek
This ancient camp covers a big area, about 400 feet by 600 feet. Over the years, both collectors and archaeologists have found hundreds of artifacts here. These are objects made by people long ago. Some of the cool finds include stone tools, weapons, and tools made from bone.
Since the site is on a farm field, it has been plowed many times. The plowing has uncovered at least five ancient burials from a cemetery at the edge of the site. Archaeologists have also found interesting features like old ovens, trash pits, and postmolds (holes where wooden posts once stood). The people buried here were often covered in red ochre (a natural red pigment) and placed in a bent position.
The Central Ohio Valley Archaic Culture
The Bullskin Creek Site is named because it sits on a raised area above Bullskin Creek, close to where it meets the Ohio River. The ancient culture found here is called "Central Ohio Valley Archaic." This culture also includes at least three other sites in Hamilton and Clermont counties.
Scientists think people lived at Bullskin Creek and these other sites between 2750 and 1750 BC. They figured this out using radiocarbon dating, a method that tells us how old things are. Tools found at these sites include special flint knives, parts of atlatls (tools for throwing spears), and stone axes and pestles. These sites are special because their knives are only found in the area around the Great Miami River.
One unique discovery at Bullskin Creek was a collection of objects that might have belonged to a shaman (a spiritual leader). This suggests the site was important for religious practices too. Interestingly, no special items were buried with the people found at the site.
Protecting History
In the 1970s, archaeologists from the University of Cincinnati dug at the Bullskin Creek Site. They found it was richer in history than many other sites they had explored. Because of its important archaeological value, the Bullskin Creek Site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. This helps protect the site so we can keep learning from it!
