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RUTH
MOORE SITE 1991-1994 |
| The
Site /Project
The Ruth Moore
site, a
shell midden on an offshore
island, came to light during the
1985 Frenchman Bay Archaeological
Survey.
Moore, an author
famous for her novels about Maine,
grew up on the island and collected
artifacts from the site. After seeing
her collection, which contained
artifacts representing the Late
Archaic through European contact
periods, Abbe curator Diane Kopec
and research associate Dr. Steven
Cox realized the potential of the
site. Further testing by Dr. Cox
led to an Abbe Museum field school.
Learn
more about Abbe Field School
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| What
Did They Want to Know? |
What
Did They They Find? |
| When
did people start living on offshore
islands and how did they make a living? |
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| Archaeology
sites, like this shell
midden, are non-renewable
resources. Erosion,
development and digging
by untrained enthusiasts
are all destroying valuable
knowledge. |
In
a shallow pit at the
base of the midden,
archaeologists uncovered
the skeleton of a carefully
buried dog.
Learn
More |
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| These
three stone points,
found near the base
of the midden, are a
mystery. Learn
More |
Fish,
bird and mammal bones
were all present and
preserved in the midden.
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Reference:
The
Indian Shell Heap: Archaeology
of the Ruth Moore Site.
Steven Cox and Gary Lawless.
Blackberry Books, Nobleboro,
ME, 1994.
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| What
Have We Learned? |
| The
Ruth Moore site contained dense
and deep layers of alternating clamshells
and shell-free black soil—the
stratigraphy. Each layer relates
to a period when people lived there.
By sorting out the layers and associated
artifacts, the archaeologists began
to assemble a picture of approximately
4,000 years of occupation.
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View
a wall profile and learn about the
layers of occupation
at the site.
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| Support
for the development of this website is provided
by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library
Services. |
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| Reproduction of material without
written permission is prohibited. |
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