The Museum is pleased to welcome back Dr. Logan Miller, associate professor of anthropology at Illinois State University, who will present a program about the most recent archaeological findings at the Noble-Wieting Site since 2020. This free, hybrid program will be held in the Museum’s second floor courtroom and live streamed through the Museum’s YouTube channel on Tuesday, November 12 at 6:30 p.m.
In addition to being home to the oldest corn and beans in McLean County, Noble-Wieting has many unique and intriguing features. For one, pottery recovered from the site suggests that Noble-Wieting was a multi-cultural settlement where groups that previously occupied separate villages coexisted together. Second, the geographic location of Noble-Wieting is many dozens of miles away from other contemporary villages along the Illinois River. Noble-Wieting, in other words, was established in a frontier location, well beyond known settlement areas. And finally, residents appear to have been heavily focused on elk relative to the white-tailed deer typical of other villages.
For the past five summers of archaeological excavation at Noble-Wieting, the findings by Illinois State University have provided a glimpse into what was probably McLean County’s largest community during the 1300s AD. As in any community, the inhabitants of Noble-Wieting shared certain similarities, as well as important differences, with their fellow villagers. Luckily for archaeologists, many of these social dynamics were likely reflected in their houses and possessions. This presentation will provide a comparison of the remains of houses, and their associated artifacts, from different areas of the village to illustrate current understandings of community formation at this unique and important site.
Dr. Logan Miller’s research and publications cover topics related to lithic technology and Midwestern archaeology. He has directed archaeological field schools in Illinois and Ohio.
For more information about this program, please contact the Education Department via email by clicking here or 309-827-0428.