Excavation Findings at the Dabbs Site facts for kids

The Dabbs Site is an exciting archaeological spot in Cartersville, Georgia. It's a small area where people once lived long ago, right by rivers and streams. We don't know exactly who these ancient people were, but they left behind clues about their lives. They farmed, hunted, and made pottery.

Discovering the Dabbs Site

The Dabbs Site is close to other important places like the Etowah Indian Mounds and the Etowah River. It's a flat area, like a field, surrounded by trees. The site is about 720 feet (220 meters) above sea level. It stretches about 394 feet (120 meters) from north to south and 377 feet (115 meters) from east to west.

What the Ground Tells Us

The soil at the Dabbs Site is special. The top layer is a silty soil with a reddish-brown color. Deeper down, there's a clay soil that's dark red. This is because people used to plow the land, mixing the soil. The ground here has different kinds of rocks like limestone, sandstone, and shale. These rocks and soil types give clues about the ancient environment.

Life in Ancient Georgia

Archaeologists have studied many sites in Georgia, including the Dabbs Site. They've learned a lot about different time periods when people lived there. These periods are called the Woodland periods. During these times, more people started living in one place, and their communities became more organized.

The Early Woodland Period

The Early Woodland period was a very long time ago, from about 1000 BC to AD 1. People began to settle down more during this time.

The Middle Woodland Period

The Middle Woodland period lasted from about 300 BC to AD 500. During this time, people started living in small villages for a long time. These villages were often built near rivers or river floodplains. People also began to grow more of their own food.

The Late Woodland Period

The Late Woodland period was from about AD 400 to AD 1000. This was a time of big changes. People settled down even more permanently. There were also new technologies and ways of life. For example, people started growing a lot more maize, which is another name for corn.

Clues from the Past: Structures and Artifacts

At the Dabbs Site, archaeologists have found remains of small homes from the Early and Middle Woodland periods. These homes were often round or oval-shaped and were about 13 to 23 feet (4 to 7 meters) across. They were usually built near rivers or streams.

Bigger Buildings and Burials

Archaeologists also found traces of larger buildings. These might have been places where many people gathered for special events or ceremonies. Some of these larger areas were also used for burials.

Valuable items were found near some burial sites, including:

• Copper pieces
• Shiny mica decorations
• Items from the ocean, like shells
• Smooth, polished ground stones

What People Grew and Ate

During the Middle Woodland period, people at the Dabbs Site grew many plants. They grew important foods like maize (corn), squash, marsh-elder, and may grass. This shows they were skilled farmers.

Amazing Pottery Finds

The Dabbs Site is also famous for its pottery. Archaeologists found two main types of pottery vessels from the Middle Woodland period:

• Cartersville vessels: These were large jars with four "feet" at the bottom. They also had small bowls. They were often decorated with patterns that looked like checks or simple stamps.
• Swift Creek vessels: These jars had pointed bottoms and also had four "feet." They had unique curved designs on them.

Changes in the Late Woodland Period

In the Late Woodland period, homes at the Dabbs Site were still round, but they were a bit smaller, about 13 to 16 feet (4 to 5 meters) across. They were built with single posts. It seems that more people were living in the area during this time, settling on river floodplains and terraces.

New tools also appeared, like the bow and arrow. This shows that technology was advancing. People also grew even more corn during this time, which was a very important food source for them.