Neville archaeological site facts for kids

The Neville Site is an exciting archaeological place located right by the Merrimack River in New Hampshire, United States. People first came to this spot a very long time ago, during the Middle Archaic period, about 8,000 years ago. They stayed until about 5,900 years ago.

The first group of people who lived here are called the "Neville Complex." They left behind special tools called "Neville stemmed points." These were sharp, pointed tools, carefully shaped and balanced. They were likely used for piercing things. Neville points are found from Maine all the way to Connecticut. They were made between 7,800 and 7,000 years ago.

Experts believe the Neville Site was mainly used for fishing and daily home activities, not so much for hunting or preparing plants. This is because archaeologists haven't found many tools for hunting or plant processing there. The site's location near the Amoskeag Falls and the river, which was full of fish, made it a perfect spot for early people to camp.

The Neville Site also shows us that people in the Northeastern United States during the Middle Archaic period had connections with other groups living along the Atlantic coast and even further south. Some tools found at Neville are similar to older tools from sites in the southeastern United States.

How the Neville Site Was Found

The Neville Site is named after its owner, John Neville. He got the land from the Stark family. For many years, no one knew how important this land was for archaeology. It wasn't until a new bridge was planned that would destroy the site that the New Hampshire Archaeological Society noticed it. They quickly surveyed the area and planned an excavation to save as much as they could before the site was lost.

Digging Up the Past

The New Hampshire Archaeological Society (NHAS) started digging at the Neville Site in 1967. Many volunteers helped them. The digging continued through 1967 and 1968. One of the volunteers, an archaeologist named Peter McLane, dug up much more of the site than originally planned. This was a great thing because the Neville Site held a huge amount of ancient items from the Archaic period!

At first, McLane and his sons only found common artifacts in the top layers of soil. But as they dug deeper, they found more and more. McLane sent a piece of charcoal found with an artifact for testing. It turned out to be 5,385 years old! This made it one of the oldest artifacts found in New England at that time. Other artifacts, both older and newer, were also found.

The people digging at the site had three main goals:

• To show that the different layers of soil (stratigraphy) were correct.
• To describe and date the different time periods of human activity at the site.
• To understand how the site was used over time.

After the digging, McLane planned to write a report about everything found. But he became ill and couldn't finish it. So, he sent all the information to Harvard University. He asked Dena Dincauze, another archaeologist, to finish the report. Even though the site had already been destroyed by the bridge construction, Dincauze agreed and completed the important report using the information she was given.

Life at the Neville Site

Native North Americans visited the Neville Site for over 8,000 years. The first people arrived about 7,000 years ago during the Middle Archaic period. Dena Dincauze, who wrote the main report, called these first people the "Neville Complex." They likely chose this spot because it was right next to a river full of fish and a forest with other useful things.

Even though people probably fished a lot here, no fish bones were found during the digging. This is because the soil conditions didn't allow bones to be preserved. However, high levels of mercury in the soil suggest that a lot of fishing did happen. Dincauze also noted that very little hunting or plant processing happened at the site because tools for those activities were missing.

Since hunting and plant processing were rare, it's likely the site was mainly a fishing camp. Groups of people probably camped here in the spring when fish were plentiful. When winter came and food became harder to find, they would move to other places to look for nuts or other resources.

The first people at the site used "Neville" stemmed points. These were described as "sharp, pointed tools with carefully shaped tips and balanced bodies, clearly made for piercing." Because they look similar to Stanly stemmed points, some think Neville points might be a type of Stanly point. Neville points have been found from Maine to Staten Island in New York. They were made from 7,800 to 7,000 years ago, when new types of points started to appear.

Over time, the tools used at the Neville Site changed a bit. This might mean people started doing more different things at the camp. This could also suggest that people began to stay at the Neville Site for longer periods, maybe even almost all year round. Around 5,900 years ago, the site was left empty. We don't know exactly why. After that, it seems the site was only visited now and then by people looking for food.

Why the Neville Site Is Important

The Neville Site is very important because it taught us so much about the cultures of the Middle Archaic period. Dena Dincauze said it's still "the thickest series of archaeological deposits known in New England." This means it has more layers of ancient human activity than almost any other site in the region. The Neville Site also shows that ancient people in the Northeast had connections and shared ideas with other groups living along the Atlantic coast.

• Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University