The Anker Site (11Ck-21) is located on the Little Calumet River near Chicago, Illinois. It is classified as a late prehistoric site with Upper Mississippian Huber (a.k.a. Blue Island) affiliation.
History of archaeological investigations
In 1958 prehistoric remains were uncovered during construction of a subdivision in suburban Chicago. A salvage operation was undertaken under the auspices of the Illinois Archaeological Survey, along with several individuals who excavated some of the burials and features on their own and shared their findings with the Survey.
Results of data analysis
Excavations at the site yielded prehistoric artifacts, a house structure, pit features, burials and animal bone. The site consisted of two parts: the village area and a cemetery containing burials with rich grave goods.
Features
A structure was defined by the presence of post molds and other features. It was 55 feet long by 13 feet wide and oval in shape. There were 3 fireplaces along the center line and 7 refuse/cache pits inside and 2 outside the structure. Charcoal in some of the post molds implies that the structure was burned.
Eight structures located at the nearby Oak Forest site ranged from 25 to 47.5 feet long. The Anker structure is significantly larger. Ceremonial structures were known to be longer than residential structures in Native American society, and therefore the Anker structure may have been ceremonial-related or religious in nature. A dog skull was placed in one of the fire pits of this structure, which also indicates it may be ceremonial in nature.
In the village area, 4 fire pits and 17 trash pits were noted. One of the trash pits included 3 reconstructable Middle Mississippian pottery vessels, which are extremely rare in the Great Lakes area.
Burials
Two types of burials were noted: 9 bundle burials with few grave goods, and 31 extended burials, many of which contained a rich assortment of grave goods. Many of the grave goods are described below and include pipes, pottery vessels and animal bones/skulls that may have been components of medicine bundles.
Animal Remains
Remains from several species were recovered from the site. The main species present were deer, fish (especially bowfin and catfish) and turtle (especially painted turtle); also present were beaver, raccoon, dog, unidentifiable bird bone fragments and fresh water mussels (especially Amblema costata). These remains were not modified into tools like the bone tools described in the Artifacts section below, and may be considered food remains or, in the case of the dog, the remains of ceremonial activities. Dog sacrifice and dog meat consumption was observed to have ceremonial and religious implications in early Native American tribes.
Artifacts
Artifacts recovered from the site included:
Pottery - total of 823 sherds and 10 whole or reconstructible vessels. The pottery artifacts will be discussed in more detail below. Stone artifacts - including 84 projectile points, 155 scrapers (subdivided into 4 types based on manufacturing technique), 5 drills and 59 random-flake knives. Of the projectile points, the most numerous category was the small triangular Madison point. Ground stone artifacts - including 1 rubbing stone, 2 arrow shaft straighteners, 2 manos, 10 hammerstones, 3 celts and 1 gouge. Bone and antler artifacts - including 4 scapula hoes, 1 scapula scraper, 4 bone needles, 2 bone awls, 7 socketed antler projectile points, 2 antler flakers, 2 antler knives and numerous other artifacts, almost all of them grave goods. Many of these are described further below. Shell artifacts - including 13 shell beads, 5 shell spoons, 4 mussel shell pendants, 1 shell hoe, a unique shell mask gorget with “weeping eye” motif, and numerous other artifacts, almost all of them grave goods. Some of the shell artifacts were made with marine shell. Many of these are described further below. Pipes - including 4 elbow pipes, 4 disc pipes, 1 pipe with block-shaped bowl, 1 pipe with tapering base, 1 vase shaped pipe, 1 truncated cone pipe, 1 bear effigy pipe, 1 human head effigy pipe and one celt-shaped pipe with incised decoration of a bison with arrow inside. Almost all of these artifacts are grave goods. Many of them are described further below. Copper - including 2 copper ear plugs, 4 tubular copper beads, 1 disc-shaped copper bead, 1 sheet copper bangles, 5 copper serpents, 3 copper rings, 2 copper bracelet and a copper wire coil that may have been an ear plug or earring. Almost all of these artifacts are grave goods. Many of them are described further below. The copper was all made from metals originating in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and may have been obtained through trade. Either the artifacts could have been manufactured in Michigan and traded; or the metal was traded and the artifacts manufactured in Illinois.
The non-pottery artifacts found at an archaeological site can provide useful cultural context as well as a glimpse into the domestic tasks performed at a site; ceremonial or religious activities; recreational activities; and clothing or personal adornment.
At Anker, the vast majority of these items were grave goods recovered from the numerous burials present at the site.
Some of the most prominent and diagnostic non-pottery artifacts are presented here in more detail:
Material Description Image Qty Function / use Comments / associations Chipped stone Small triangular points (a.k.a. Madison points) 84 total projectile points; most were small triangular points Hunting/fishing/warfare Also known as “arrowheads”; are thought to be arrow-tips for bows-and-arrows. The usage of the bow-and-arrow seems to have greatly increased after A.D. 1000, probably as a result of increased conflict. At Anker, 41 were located in a single burial with an arrow shaft straightener. Chipped stone Large leaf-shaped blade 1 Domestic function / cutting applications Typical of Upper Mississippian sites, particularly Huber and Oneota (Orr focus); present at Moccasin Bluff in Michigan where they are referred to as "ovate bifaces" Chipped stone Rough triangular humpback blades 13 complete, 8 fragments Domestic function / woodworking Reported from other Huber sites but not from Oneota; present at Moccasin Bluff in Michigan where they are referred to as "thick steep-edge" scrapers Chipped stone Drills 4 double-pointed (pictured); 1 tapered to point Domestic function / processing wood or hides The double pointed type is common in Upper Mississippian contexts Stone Sandstone abrader a.k.a. arrow shaft straightener 2 Domestic function / straightening arrow shafts for bows-and-arrows Typical at Upper Mississippian sites; one of the Anker specimens was found with a burial Antler Antler projectile points; socketed 7 Hunting/fishing/warfare Common at Upper Mississippian sites, especially Fisher; 3 of the Anker specimens were found in burials Stone Gouge 1 Domestic function / woodworking This artifact is not usually found in Upper Mississippian contexts; it commonly occurs in earlier archaeological periods; the one at Anker was associated with a burial Bone Beamer 1 Domestic function / hide-working tool Commonly found at Fisher and Langford sites; the specimen at Anker was associated with a burial Bone Scapula hoes 4 (2 with elk scapula, 2 with indeterminate large mammal scapula) Domestic function / Agricultural-horticultural or general digging tool Common at Fisher and Oneota sites; they may have been used to dig out the pit features or graves present at Anker. Bone Scapula knife or scraper 1 Domestic function / cutting applications This artifact has been found at the Fisher/Huber Griesmer site in Northwestern Indiana, just to the east of Chicago; and other sites in the Midwest, especially Illinois, and is variously defined as a "knife", "scraper", "spade" or "celt"; the specimen at Anker was associated with a burial Antler Knives 2 Domestic function / cutting applications Associated with a burial Bone Bone cylinders or dice / game pieces 8 Entertainment function These have been found at Fisher, Huber, Langford and Oneota (especially Grand River focus and Lake Winnebago focus) and may have been used in a gambling game. Gambling was noted to be a popular pastime among the early Native American tribes. The specimens from Anker were associated with a burial. Stone Elbow pipe fragment 4 Ceremonial-Recreational function / pipe smoking Common at sites in Illinois; the Anker specimens were associated with burials Stone Disc pipe fragment 4 Ceremonial-Recreational function / pipe smoking Common at sites in Illinois; the Anker specimens were associated with burials Stone Rectangular block-shaped pipe fragment 1 Ceremonial-Recreational function / pipe smoking Common at sites in Illinois; the Anker specimens were associated with burials Stone Bear effigy pipe fragment 1 Ceremonial-Recreational function / pipe smoking Associated with a burial. Effigy pipes are not common among Upper Mississippian cultures; this item may have been obtained through trade. They are common at Whittlesey sites in northern Ohio, and have been reported from the Late Woodland Dumaw Creek site (also associated with a burial) in Michigan. Stone Human head effigy pipe 1 Ceremonial-Recreational function / pipe smoking This unique artifact was associated with a burial and is typical of Iroquoian pipe designs from Ontario and New York State Stone Celt shaped pipe with incised decoration depicting bison and arrow 1 Ceremonial-Recreational function / pipe smoking Incised decoration is on both sides; very unusual for sites in this area. Associated with a burial. Bone Pipe stem made of human bone 1 Ceremonial-Recreational function / pipe smoking Associated with a burial Bone Rasp (musical instrument) made of human bone 1 Ceremonial-Recreational function / entertainment or use at ceremony Associated with a burial; bone rasps have been found at Huber, Whittlesey and Fort Ancient sites, usually from animal, not human, bone Antler Bird figurine with socketed pedestal 1 Art work / Decorative and/or Ceremonial application Associated with a burial. Copper spangles were found neard the artifact that may have originally been suspended from the tail. May have been decorative or might have had spiritual or magical significance. The historic Menominee were observed to use a carved wooden bird during ceremonies to kill people with sorcery. Bone Wolf mandible pendant 2 sections Personal Adornment and/or Ceremonial application Associated with a burial; may have been part of a medicine bundle Bone Snake vertebrae necklace 1 Personal Adornment and/or Ceremonial application Associated with a burial; there was a copper hair pipe and 2 mussel shells next to it that were probably originally part of the same necklace Copper Serpent effigy 5 Personal Adornment and/or Ceremonial application Similar copper serpent figurines have been found at other sites in the American Midwest region: several Oneota Orr focus sites in Iowa; the Fifield Site in northeastern Indiana just east of Chicago; the Summer Island site in Michigan; and the Madisonville site in Ohio. The Orr focus sites, Madisonville and Summer Island all have early European trade goods associated, indicating these figurines were still being made at the time of European contact. The Anker specimen was associated with a burial. Shell Mask gorget with "weeping eye" motif 1 Art Piece / Religious application This sherd pendant with the “weeping eye” motif is also indicative of a late prehistoric to early Historic time placement. The weeping eye motif on shell mask gorgets has been observed at several Middle Mississippian sites, and the Dumaw Creek site in Oceana County, Michigan. A sherd pendant with this motif was recovered at the Fifield site in Northwestern Indiana, just east of Chicago.
Upper Mississippian Huber (a.k.a. Blue Island) Pottery