Illinois State Archaeological Survey - Illinois Archaeology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  OUR MISSION

The Illinois State Archaeological Survey's mission is to investigate, preserve and interpret the archaeological heritage of Illinois within the contexts of long-term public needs and economic development through our scientific research, landscape preservation, public service, education, and outreach activities.
  Highway Archaeology  
OUR VISION

To serve as the principal repository and source of scientifically-based information and research on the archaeological resources of the state and to proactively utilize this knowledge to assist Illinois' citizens, communities, and institutions in making informed decisions on heritage interpretation, management, and preservation.

 

ISAS in the News


Indian Mounds Park Event
[March 27, 2012]


Digging Up Dirt on a Lost City
(Click on audio link at top of article)
[stlouiscbslocal.com, January 5, 2012]


Mound Found at East St. Louis
(Information at end of article)
[The State Journal-Register, December 31, 2011]


Hess Farm and the Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation
[The Journal Standard, December 1, 2011]


Northwest Illinois Still Shows Signs of Native Americans
[The Journal Standard, November 24, 2011]


Major Find Near Fort de Chartres
[Belleville News-Democrat (BND.com, November 13, 2011]


Institute Archaeologist Talks About East St. Louis Excavations
[WUIS Public Radio | November 8, 2011]


New Mummy Insights, No Dissecting Needed
[The New York Times, October 31, 2011]


Unwrapping a Mummy
[WCIA TV, November 2, 2011]


Pompeii in East St. Louis
[St. Louis Magazine, November 2011]


Experts Reveal New Images, Analyses of Spurlock Museum Mummy
[University of Illinois News Bureau, October 18, 2011]


The East St. Louis Mound Center: America's Original "Second City"
[Cahokian Fall, 2011]


New Bridge Build Continues to Produce New Discoveries
[St. Louis Post-Dispatch
October 11, 2011]


Mound Preservation
[Quincy Herald-Whig
September 17, 2011]


Where Did the Mississippians Go?
[Belleville-News Democrat
September 6, 2011]


Photoblog of East St. Louis Excavations
[The State Journal-Register 6/26/11]


Looking for the Past in a Highway's Path
[The State Journal-Register 6/25/11]


Death on Display: ISAS Researcher Sarah Wisseman (ATAM) Attends World Congress on Mummy Studies
[Posted 6/21/11]


ISAS Featured in Prairie Research Institute Article in Inside Illinois
[Inside Illinois 6/16/11]


Search for War of 1812 Fort Johnson in Warsaw, IL by ISAS Volunteers and Researchers
[Quincy Herald Whig 6/4/11]


Previous News Stories

 

Illinois Archaeology Today Logo


Indian Mounds Park: Celebration and Blessing of the Mounds
[
Posted March 27, 2012]


The Lost City of Cahokia
[theatlanticcities.com]
[
Posted January 3, 2012]


The Mystery of Kellogg's Grove
[The Journal Standard, Freeport, IL Posted November 19, 2011]


Bioarchaeology and Forensic Anthropology Association
[Posted October 11, 2011]


Previous Illinois Archaeology Today Stories

 

 

What's New



Advisory Council for Historic Preservation Picks the Recent Illinois FHWA-IDOT/MOA on Historic Archaeology Sites as a Case Study Example of a "Best Practices" for Nationwide SHPOs

The selection of a recently executed Statewide Programmatic Agreement for the Mitigation of Adverse Effects to Euro-American Tradition Archaeological Sites in the State of Illinois by the ACHP is a mark of the quality and professionalism of IDOT's Transportation Archaeology program under the leadership of Dr. John Walthall (recently retired) and Brad Koldehoff, IDOT. Click here for copy of ACHP announcement [Link].


"Rare Jewels" of Gem City Preserved
Preservation work at Indian Mounds Park, Quincy, IL

Archaeological preservation work undertaken by Steve Tieken (North American Archaeological Institute [NAAI]), Dave Nolan (Illinois State Archaeological Survey) and numerous volunteers including Native Americans from nine different tribal affiliations—Blackfoot, Cherokee (Chickamaka & Nvdagi bands), Choctaw, Gabrieleno/Tongva, Ho-Chunk, Iroquois, Mandan, and Prairie Band Potawatomi—recently removed decades of dense overgrowth, uncovering some of the best examples of circular earthworks, flat top pyramid mounds, and conical burial mounds found in the Midwest.


ISAS Archaeologists Featured in the Journal Science Article on Cahokia: America's Lost CIty

New excavations, led by ISAS Archaeologist at the new Mississippi River Bridge project, reveal surprising dimensions to North America's oldest city and its great earthen monuments.

Prairie Research Institute Hosts Prairie Lightning Symposium

On November 16, 2011, the Prairie Research Institute sponsored the Prairie Lightning Symposium at the I Hotel and Conference Center. The event was open to all Institute staff.

Building Bridges: IDOT Archaeology and Tribal Consultation

ISAS/IDOT are building metaphoric bridges by developing links and connections to the tribes with whom we coordinate, while at the same time ISAS is clearing the way for IDOT to build a new bridge across the Mississippi River at East St. Louis.

ISAS Researchers Study Perishable Materials

Mary Simon, senior archaeobotanist and Mary King, assistant archaeobotanist visited the R.L. Andrews Center for Perishables Analysis at Mercyhurst College to better understand and interpret these types of materials in ISAS excavations.

New Findings Presented on a Roman-Period Egyptian Mummy at the University of Illinois

Spurlock Museum MummyOn November 2, 2011, Sarah Wisseman, Program on Ancient Technologies and Archaeological Materials (ATAM) director and Spurlock Museum hosted a panel discussion on new imaging results on the Spurlock Museum Mummy.


Bottled in Illinois: Embossed Bottles and Bottled Products of Early Illinois Merchants from Chicago to Cairo 1840-1880

NOW AVAILABLE!

This encyclopedic book describes and illustrates nearly 1,100 different Illinois embossed-bottle varieties produced before, during, and after the Civil War (from 1840 to 1880) for close to 500 Illinois merchants operating in over 100 small towns and cities across the state, with populations ranging from just a few hundred souls to more than 100,000 people.


ISAS and IDOT Win 2011 Environmental Excellence Award

2011 FHWA EEAFor their efforts on the New Mississippi River Bridge Project, ISAS and IDOT were selected as one of twelve groups from over 125 nominees recognized by the Federal Highway Administration to reward the commitment to deliver projects that protect and enhance the environment, but that also shorten project delivery, advance innovateive technology and "go greener."


ISAS Receives Significant pre-Civil War Urban
Artifact Assemblage

donationThe Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS) has recently accepted the donation of one of the largest pre-Civil War urban artifact assemblages ever collected in the Midwest.


ISAS Welcomes New Staff

ISAS is pleased to announce the hire of four individuals for the Research Archaeologist position at our American Bottom Field Station (ABFS). The position required individuals with extensive field and supervisory experience, as well as experience in Mississippian archaeology. It entails supervising excavation crews presently working at the East St. Louis Mound Center (ESTL) as part of the New Mississippi River Bridge Project. 


ISAS Awards Charles J. Bareis Research Assistantships

Annually, beginning in 2010, the Illinois State Archaeological Survey awarded assistantships to selected graduate students specializing in Illinois archaeology, in honor of the late Charles J. Bareis. This fall, Jacob Skousen and Sarah Otten have secured research assistantships for 2011.


ISAS Creates Display for Governor's Tent
at the 2011 Illinois State Fair

The poster, entitled “The New Mississipi River Bridge: IDOT–Building the Future • Preserving the Past,” was part of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s exhibit featuring the archaeology and construction of the New Mississippi River Bridge Project.


American Archaeology Magazine Features ISAS Excavations at the East St. Louis Mound Center

Was Cahokia a prehistoric metropolis? The discovery of a large adjacent community has convinced some archaeologists that it was.

[From American Archaeology Vol. 15, No. 1, Spring 2011 Issue]
American Archaeology is published by The Archaeological Conservancy


ISAS/IDOT Receive Federal Highway Administration Award

The Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS) and its partner the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) were recognized by FHWA for Exemplary Human Environment Initiatives and Exemplary Ecosystem Initiatives.


[News Archives]

ISAS on FaceBook twitter icon


2012 Midwest Historical Conference
October 6, 2012
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign


ISAS Featured Book

Bottle Book image
Bottled in Illinois is now available!

Bottled in Illinois book

NEW! ISAS Publications

SIA 9
[More Info]

SIA 5
[More Info]

SIA 9 SIA 5

ISAS and Illinois Height Modernization Program
Using LiDAR data to obtain accurate location and topographic information for prehistoric mounds and earthen constructs.

LiDAR Image


worker icon
Job Postings as of
May 15, 2012


 

Updated: 05/15/2012 ML

Illinois State Archaeological Survey

23 E. Stadium Drive
209 Nuclear Physics Lab
Champaign, IL 61820
phone: 217-244-4244 | fax: 217-244-7458
isas@illinois.edu

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For permissions information, contact the Illinois State Archaeological Survey.

Bottled in Illinois book