Cataloging and Rehousing Cahokia Archaeological Artifacts

FAIN: PW-50066-08

Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois (Champaign, IL 61801-3620)
Laura Kozuch (Project Director: July 2007 to March 2011)

The completion of the cataloging and rehousing of circa 500 cubic feet of materials excavated since 1920 at Cahokia, a prehistoric site in Illinois dated A.D. 1200 to 1300.

The Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program (ITARP) at the University of Illinois seeks funds to catalog & rehouse a collection of artifacts (about 981 ft3) from Cahokia, a UNESCO World Heritage site. An electronic catalog will be created, including excavator, project year, material class, and artifact counts. A searchable portion of this database will be posted on the ITARP web site, and summary reports on each excavation will be on the ITARP web site in Adobe Acrobat format, including information on documents and major publications. Creating web access to the Cahokia database is an important step, since people interested in Cahokia are aware of the many mounds and plazas that have been excavated. With completion of this project, researchers focusing on Cahokia would be easily able to determine on-line if ITARP houses collections from a particular excavation.

Associated Products

Online Cahokia Catalog (Catalog)
Title: Online Cahokia Catalog
Author: Laura Kozuch
Author: Stephanie Daniels
Abstract: Online catalog describing provenience, artifact class (ceramic, lithic, botanical, faunal, etc.) for all Cahokia artifacts.
Year: 2010
Primary URL: http://www.isas.illinois.edu/cahokia/index.shtml

Finding Aid for Cahokia Documents (Catalog)
Title: Finding Aid for Cahokia Documents
Author: Laura Kozuch
Abstract: A document describing all projects, excavations, and the year(s) during which collections were made for Cahokia Collections at the University of Illinois.
Year: 2010
Primary URL: http://www.isas.illinois.edu/cahokia/Cahokia%20Finding%20Aids.pdf
Primary URL Description: A finding aid in portable document format (.pdf) to aid the public and outside researchers in finding Cahokia Documents.

NEH Cahokia Grant Highlights (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: NEH Cahokia Grant Highlights
Abstract: Presentation to NEH Chair James Leach and UI President Hogan. The collections at the University of Illinois are unparalleled, and are instrumental in many ongoing research projects. We currently excavate about 800 boxes of artifacts each year, and engage in outreach projects ranging from joint exhibits to identification of privately-held collections. The research potential of our Cahokia collections is shown by current work. Video Conferencing with the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Illinois Springfield.
Author: Laura Kozuch
Date: 2/22/2012
Location: University of Illinois

The Unknown Cahokia Collections (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: The Unknown Cahokia Collections
Author: Laura Kozuch
Author: Stephanie Daniels
Author: Mike Lewis
Abstract: Due to decades of neglect and obscurity, Cahokia collections at the University of Illinois dating back to the 1920s made by Warren K. Moorehead and others have gone largely unknown. They include a collection from the Powell Mound destruction in 1930-31 by A.R. Kelly, and 450 boxes from CRM projects between 1959 and 1991, by Charles J. Bareis. Collections are from most areas at the Cahokia site. With funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the catalog and some photographs are on-line. Descriptions of each excavation project, and descriptions of archived documents are available in Adobe Acrobat files.
Date: 4/15/2010
Primary URL: http://saa.org/AbouttheSociety/AnnualMeeting/75thAnniversaryMeetingStLouis2010/tabid/1354/Default.aspx
Primary URL Description: SAA's 75th Anniversary meeting in St. Louis, MO. Special symposia and roundtables on the history and prospects of American archaeology, trips to Cahokia, and tours of the Mississippi Panorama (if it's ready for viewing).
Conference Name: Society for American Archaeology

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