Saltville (archaeological site) facts for kids

The Saltville Archaeological Site SV-2 is a very old place in Saltville, Virginia. Scientists think people lived here even before the well-known Clovis people. A scientist named Jerry N. McDonald from the Virginia Museum of Natural History dug up the site from 1992 to 1997.

The Saltville Valley is in the Appalachian Mountains of southwest Virginia. It is shaped like a triangle. About 20 percent of the valley is now covered by water. This happened because of salt mining in the past. Site SV-2 is in the southwestern part of the valley. It is near a lake made in the 1960s.

What the Valley Was Like Long Ago

The Saltville Valley sits on a special type of rock called the Maccrady Formation. This rock has a lot of salt and other minerals. Long, long ago, about 13,500 years ago, a river flowed through the valley. Later, this river turned into a lake. Scientists call this ancient lake "Lake Totten."

Lake Totten helped keep old plants and animals safe. Mud at the bottom of the lake covered them up. This is why we can find so many old fossils here today. Over time, the lake got smaller. This left behind layers of mud and dirt. These layers tell us about the valley's history over 5,000 years.

Amazing Animal Discoveries

People have been finding amazing animal fossils in Saltville for over 200 years! The first fossils were reported in 1782 to Thomas Jefferson.

Some of the cool animals found here include:

• Giant ground sloth (named after Thomas Jefferson!)
• Woolly mammoth
• Musk-ox
• Mastodon
• Horse
• A possible elk moose
• Giant Short-faced bear

Mastodon Clues

Scientists found parts of a mastodon at Site SV-2. They think this mastodon might have been killed, cut up, and even cooked by early humans. This could be proof of human activity before the Clovis people.

Musk-Ox Finds

Many musk-ox fossils have been found in the valley. In 1978, 34 musk-ox fossils were discovered. In 1980, Jerry McDonald found one of the most complete musk-ox skeletons ever. It had 49 bones!

Giant Short-Faced Bear

In 1999, parts of a giant short-faced bear were found. These bears were huge meat-eaters. This is the only giant short-faced bear fossil ever found in the Appalachian Mountains. Scientists used a special test to find out it was about 14,853 years old.

Mammoth Remains

Scientists are still digging up mammoth remains. They have found ribs, bones from the back, a shoulder blade, and foot bones. Some of these bones show signs that other animals, like wolves or bears, might have eaten the mammoth after it died. The mammoth bones are about 14,510 years old.

Ancient Plant Discoveries

In 1967, scientists looked at pollen from a musk-ox skull. They learned that the Saltville Valley used to have a spruce forest with ponds and grassy areas. Later studies showed it was a mixed forest with both pine trees and hardwood trees. The low areas had spruce, fir, grasses, shrubs, and sedges. This tells us the valley was a wet, cool woodland.

Recent studies in 2007 looked at the bones of plant-eating animals. They found that the main plants in the valley were C-3 plants. This means there were no C-4 plants or grasses in the wet, low areas.

Layers of Time at SV-2

The ground at Saltville Valley has seven main layers, like a history book.

• The top layers (H-1 and H-2) are from more recent times. At Site SV-2, the very top layer (H-1) was removed by bulldozers in the 1960s.
• The next layers (W-1 through W-4) show the time when the last Ice Age was ending.
• The deepest layer (P-1) is the very old Maccrady Formation bedrock.

Signs of Early Humans at SV-2

Scientists found proof that humans lived at Site SV-2 a very long time ago. There are three main layers with signs of human activity. These layers are between 13,000 and 14,510 years old.

Oldest Human Signs

The oldest layer is about 14,510 years old. Here, scientists found a bone tool made from a musk-ox leg bone. This tool was used for scraping or cutting. This is a big clue that people were here before the Clovis culture.

In this same layer, they found signs that a mastodon was cut up and cooked. They found:

• Mastodon bones and tusks that looked like they had been handled.
• Two sandstone knives with sharp edges, used for cutting meat or hides.
• A strange mineral lump that might be hardened fat from cooking.
• Rocks that were cracked by fire, and a burned mastodon tooth.
• A stone that might have been used as an axe or wedge.
• Other bone pieces changed by humans.

Middle Layer Discoveries

The middle layer has two interesting spots. One spot had many stone tools or pieces used to make tools. They also found fish bones and charcoal. The second spot had seven strange mineral lumps. These lumps were once soft animal fat that turned into rock. This shows that cooking might have happened here too. Twigs found in this layer are about 13,950 years old.

Youngest Layer Discoveries

The youngest layer had a spot with over 200 young giant floater clams. These clams usually live in slow-moving water. They also found fish and amphibian bones, charcoal, and more stone tool pieces. This layer is thought to be between 13,000 and 13,500 years old.

See also

In Spanish: Saltville (sitio arqueológico) para niños