fort ancient culture
The Fort Ancient people occupied the Middle Ohio Valley from approximately 900 -1750 AD, a culture of the Late Prehistoric period. The end of the period of Fort Ancient settlement is marked by a dramatic decline in population and village sites in the area prior to European settlement. The reasons for this decline are unknown, but many factors may have contributed:
- malnutrition resulting from a long-term carb-based diet
- decline in maize production
- exposure to European diseases through trade and contact with other tribes
- abandonment of the area
timeline of occupation
TURPIN PHASE: 1000-1250
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SCHOMAKER PHASE: 1250-1400
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MARIEMONT PHASE: 1400-1670
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ancestryThe Fort Ancient were likely descendants of the Late Woodland Newtown culture, who occupied the region from approximately AD 400 - 1000.
The Newtown culture evolved from the Hopewell traditions, and were marked by their shift in living situations (larger villages) and subsistence practices (began to depend more on horticulture). The shift from Newtown culture to Fort Ancient is defined by a dependence on farming and contact with Mississippian tribes and the adoption of their culture and industry, including the bow and arrow, new pottery forms, and the cultivation of maize. The people of the Fort Ancient culture were most likely the ancestors of the Shawnee tribe. Therefore, most of our assumptions of their cultural practices and beliefs are based on Shawnee practices. settlementsHuts were made of rectangular or circular sapling frames covered in mats, bark, and animal hides.
Basin-shaped fireplaces were placed inside the hut or directly outside next to them. People of the Fort Ancient culture typically lived on bluffs and terraces overlooking rich river valleys. Settlements were occupied for several years.
Small settlements were common during earlier phases, and later grew into large villages arranged in a circular pattern. SubsistenceThe Fort Ancient people were the first agriculturalists in the area, and they relied heavily on maize as their staple of subsistence, consisting of about 50-75% of their diet.
This carb-based diet had a detrimental effect on their health, resulting in chronic malnutrition, excessive infant mortality, increased rates of communicable diseases, bone lesions, periodontal diseases, and tuberculosis.
The Fort Ancient suffered the worst health than any of their ancestors. In addition to agriculture, they also spent time hunting, fishing, and gathering. They developed and traded for simple tools to aid them in these practices, such as hoes, shovels, rakes, axes, fish hooks, and bows and arrows. Burial practicesThe Fort Ancient built subconical mounds to hold their dead until about 1300-1400 AD. These mounds were typically located outside of village zones and contained multiple bodies over time. Layers of soil and clay were between the bodies.
In later Fort Ancient culture, the mound building was abandoned for graves and coffins within the village.
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