Late Precontact Period

AD 900 - 1650

Image of a Triangular Knife from the Fort Recovery Historical Society's collection

About the Late Precontact Period

Fort Ancient Culture: Village Life, Ohio History Connection

During the Late Precontact period, villages increased in size and some become structured in concentric rings around a communal plaza. Maize agriculture intensified and beans finally joined squash and maize to form the “Three sisters” crops encountered by the first European colonizers. Black walnuts, wild fruits, deer, elk, black bear, turkey, raccoons, squirrel, turtle, and birds were all still on the menu. Triangle points for bow and arrows are very common. There were shell hoes for digging, fish hooks, knives, celts, net weights, and deer bone beamers for processing hides. Trade networks were not as far reaching as they had been during the Hopewell Interaction Sphere, but some exotic designs and materials are found as relationships with so-called Mississippian groups developed, linking American Indians in the Ohio country to Cahokia and other southeastern towns and cities.

Fort Ancient Culture: Trading, Ohio History Connection

Late Precontact people built fortifications (walls, palisades, and/or embankments) to defend their villages. In Ohio, archaeologists recognize different cultural traditions including Fort Ancient, Monongahela, Sandusky, and Whittlesey. These groups developed different styles of pottery, stone tools, and other artifacts. One of the most amazing aspects of the Late Precontact period is the construction of effigy mounds, earthworks that are built with soil and shaped into objects like animals. The Late Precontact period ended as Europeans began to colonize the Americas.

Artifact Photographs from the Fort Recovery Historical Society collection

Scroll through photographs of Late Precontact Period artifacts from the Fort Recovery Historical Society's collection. What similarities and differences do you notice between the different stone tools? What activities do you think different tools were used for?

Artifact identification by Tony DeRegnaucourt for the Fort Recovery Historical Society, ca. 1991. Additional artifact caption information from "Stone Age Spear and Arrow Points of the Midcontintal and Eastern United States" by Noel D. Justice, 1995.

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Triangular Knife

This knife has serrated edges and is still sharp.

Scraper

This very thin and sharp artifact was mostly likely used to scrape hides.

Scraper

This scraper can easily be gripped between your thumb and first ringer.

Drill

This drill could have been hafted on a handle.

Reamer

Artifact like these could have been used as finishing tools for other wood or ceramic tools.

Knife

This extremely large knife was undoubtedly a prized and useful possession.

Corner-Notched Point

This large corner-notched point may been been ceremonial given its size.

Drill

This large drill exhibits quality workmanship and still has a point.

Artifact 3D Scans from the Fort Recovery Historical Society collection

Explore the 3D artifact scans of Late Precontact period artifacts. You can manipulate the artifacts by zooming in and out to explore the form, texture, and color of the artifacts. Can you identify any flake scars left behind from when the tool was made? What about possible wear patterns? Flake scars can help us understand details about how a stone tool was made through flintknapping and use wear can tell us about how it was used.

Sketchfab

Ohio Late Precontact Sites

There are several well-known Late Precontact archaeological sites in Ohio. Click on the pink markers to learn about each site. To learn more, see  The Late Prehistoric Period  in Virtual First Ohioans.

Site and themes drawn from "Ohio Archaeology: An Illustrated Chronicle of Ohio's Ancient American Indian Cultures" by Bradley T. Lepper (2005).

Montgomery County: The SunWatch Village Site

The SunWatch site is an archaeological village site associated with the Fort Ancient culture. Archaeologists have been studying this site since the 1971s. The remains of the village were identified over 3 acres. It now operates as an open-air museum with reconstructed houses and structure built according to what archaeologists understand about the architectural style form excavations. The village was built in concentric circles around a central plaza that was used for communal gatherings. A cemetery surrounds the plaza. Work areas, hearths, and debris surrounded the cemetery. Rectangular houses surrounded the work areas and public spaces of the village. A stockade enclosed the village. As the site name indicates, there are several suspected solar alignments built into the structure of the site, marking important cyclical events in the social and economic calendar for the site occupants. https://www.sunwatch.org/

Adams County: The Great Serpent Mound

The Great Serpent mound in Adams County, Ohio is 1,348 feet long and 3 feet high. The mound resembles a serpent eating an egg. The tail end of the serpent curls into a spiral. The earthwork was made with layers of rock, yellow clay, ash and soil around AD 1066. No artifacts or burials were found in association with the mound but it is attributed to the Fort Ancient culture. There is an active debate as to the original age of this monument, but it represents a significant place through millennia surrounded by burial mounds, and occupation sites from multiple periods. https://www.ohiohistory.org/visit/museum-and-site-locator/serpent-mound

Licking County: The Granville Effigy Mound

The Granville Effigy mound, also known as the ‘Alligator’ Effigy Mound, is located in Granville Ohio. The effigy is composed of interconnected mounds shaped like a head, upper body, forelimbs, lower body, hindlimbs, and a long curling tale. People have been calling it the ‘Alligator’ Mound since the 1800s. Scholars suggest that this creature is meant to symbolize one of the animals that guards the underworld, known as the underwater panther. The other animal guarding the underworld is the horned serpent, possibly represented at Serpent Mound..

Jackson County: The Leo Petroglyphs

You can visit petroglyphs of 37 figures at the Leo Petroglyphs and Nature Preserve, Jackson County, Ohio. Figures representing humans, birds, a fish, a serpent, and other animal figures as well as human foot prints are carved into a rock outcrop. The petroglyphs may be as old as 1000 years. https://www.ohiohistory.org/visit/museum-and-site-locator/leo-petroglyphs

Lorain County: The White Fort Site

At the White Fort site, archaeologists have documented a substantial Late Precontact village likely associated with the Sandusky culture. The site was occupied between AD 1280 and 1580 but peaked in population around AD 1300. The village was defended by a multi-walled stockade. Two different types of houses have been discovered: a long rectangular house and a small round dwelling. Paleobotanical remains confirmed that maize, beans, squash, fish, deer, and elk were part of the diet at White Fort.

Warren County: The Fort Ancient Earthworks

The Fort Ancient Earthworks and Nature Preserve is home to Ohio’s first UNESCO World Heritage site. Located in Warren County, Ohio, the Fort Ancient Earthworks cover more than 100-acres. The associated village of Fort Ancient is the type site for the culture and the largest prehistoric hilltop enclosure in the United States. The earthworks consist of earthen walls that were built basket-full-by-basket-full from 553,00 cubic yards of dirt over a 400 year period. Archaeologists originally thought that the earthworks were defensive but further research suggests that their purpose was social, economic, political, and ceremonial. https://www.ohiohistory.org/visit/museum-and-site-locator/fort-ancient-earthworks

Montgomery County: The SunWatch Village Site

The SunWatch site is an archaeological village site associated with the Fort Ancient culture. Archaeologists have been studying this site since the 1971s. The remains of the village were identified over 3 acres. It now operates as an open-air museum with reconstructed houses and structure built according to what archaeologists understand about the architectural style form excavations. The village was built in concentric circles around a central plaza that was used for communal gatherings. A cemetery surrounds the plaza. Work areas, hearths, and debris surrounded the cemetery. Rectangular houses surrounded the work areas and public spaces of the village. A stockade enclosed the village. As the site name indicates, there are several suspected solar alignments built into the structure of the site, marking important cyclical events in the social and economic calendar for the site occupants.  https://www.sunwatch.org/  

Adams County: The Great Serpent Mound

The Great Serpent mound in Adams County, Ohio is 1,348 feet long and 3 feet high. The mound resembles a serpent eating an egg. The tail end of the serpent curls into a spiral. The earthwork was made with layers of rock, yellow clay, ash and soil around AD 1066. No artifacts or burials were found in association with the mound but it is attributed to the Fort Ancient culture. There is an active debate as to the original age of this monument, but it represents a significant place through millennia surrounded by burial mounds, and occupation sites from multiple periods.  https://www.ohiohistory.org/visit/museum-and-site-locator/serpent-mound 

Licking County: The Granville Effigy Mound

The Granville Effigy mound, also known as the ‘Alligator’ Effigy Mound, is located in Granville Ohio. The effigy is composed of interconnected mounds shaped like a head, upper body, forelimbs, lower body, hindlimbs, and a long curling tale. People have been calling it the ‘Alligator’ Mound since the 1800s. Scholars suggest that this creature is meant to symbolize one of the animals that guards the underworld, known as the underwater panther. The other animal guarding the underworld is the horned serpent, possibly represented at Serpent Mound..

Jackson County: The Leo Petroglyphs

You can visit petroglyphs of 37 figures at the Leo Petroglyphs and Nature Preserve, Jackson County, Ohio. Figures representing humans, birds, a fish, a serpent, and other animal figures as well as human foot prints are carved into a rock outcrop. The petroglyphs may be as old as 1000 years.  https://www.ohiohistory.org/visit/museum-and-site-locator/leo-petroglyphs 

Lorain County: The White Fort Site

At the White Fort site, archaeologists have documented a substantial Late Precontact village likely associated with the Sandusky culture. The site was occupied between AD 1280 and 1580 but peaked in population around AD 1300. The village was defended by a multi-walled stockade. Two different types of houses have been discovered: a long rectangular house and a small round dwelling. Paleobotanical remains confirmed that maize, beans, squash, fish, deer, and elk were part of the diet at White Fort.

Warren County: The Fort Ancient Earthworks

The Fort Ancient Earthworks and Nature Preserve is home to Ohio’s first UNESCO World Heritage site. Located in Warren County, Ohio, the Fort Ancient Earthworks cover more than 100-acres. The associated village of Fort Ancient is the type site for the culture and the largest prehistoric hilltop enclosure in the United States. The earthworks consist of earthen walls that were built basket-full-by-basket-full from 553,00 cubic yards of dirt over a 400 year period. Archaeologists originally thought that the earthworks were defensive but further research suggests that their purpose was social, economic, political, and ceremonial.  https://www.ohiohistory.org/visit/museum-and-site-locator/fort-ancient-earthworks 

World Events Map

What was happening in the world during Ohio's Late Precontact period, AD 900-1650? Click on the pink markers to learn about each world event.

Bahamas: Columbus Lands in the Caribbean

In AD 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain on the behalf of the Spanish crown in search of a more direct route to Asia for trade. In his first voyage, Columbus made landfall with three ships, the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria) in the Bahamas. After returning to Spain Columbus made a second voyage with 17 ships, more than 1000 men, and livestock. Archaeologists think that the second voyage and its livestock are the source of the epidemics of European diseases that devastated indigenous groups of the Americas.

Mexico: Aztec Empire, Mesoamerica

One of the multiple empires that the Spanish encountered when they arrived in the Americas, the Aztec Empire (AD 1428-1521) conquered and unified the peoples of Central Mexico. The Empire comprised three confederated city-states including Tenochtilan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan.

Canada: Viking Settlement

L’Anse aux Meadows is an archaeological site date to c. 1000, discovered by the Norwegian explorers Helge and Anne Ingstad during the 1960s. The site is a Viking settlement and is believed to be the Vinland settlement established by the explorer Leif Erikson. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage site. https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/nl/meadows

Middle East: The Crusades

The Crusades were a series of religiously motivated wars between Christians and Muslims to seize control of the eastern Mediterranean area known as the Holy Land. Between AD 1096 and 1291, eight crusades were fought.

Europe: Medieval Warm Period

The Medieval Warm Period was marked by the presence of a warmer climate in the North Atlantic region from around AD 950 to 1250. The reasons for the warming are not fully understood and may relate to solar activity, decreased volcanism, or oceanic factors. At the same time in the Pacific sphere the climate was colder. The Medieval Warm Period ended in the Little Ice Age, a cold snap that lasted from the 13th to the 19th centuries. Crops in Europe did well under the warming event and the population doubled.

England: Little Ice Age

Although this climate event is not considered a true ice age it was major cooling off period. The Little Ice Age (c. AD 1300 – 1850) began just as the Medieval Warm Period came to a close in Europe. Slightly warmer intervals punctuated prolonged cold intervals during this climate event, producing different climate effects in different regions of the world. During the Little Ice Age, in London, the Thames River would often freeze over for up to two months at a time, allowing “Frost Fairs” to be held on the frozen river.

Bahamas: Columbus Lands in the Caribbean

In AD 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain on the behalf of the Spanish crown in search of a more direct route to Asia for trade. In his first voyage, Columbus made landfall with three ships, the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria) in the Bahamas. After returning to Spain Columbus made a second voyage with 17 ships, more than 1000 men, and livestock. Archaeologists think that the second voyage and its livestock are the source of the epidemics of European diseases that devastated indigenous groups of the Americas. 

Mexico: Aztec Empire, Mesoamerica

One of the multiple empires that the Spanish encountered when they arrived in the Americas, the Aztec Empire (AD 1428-1521) conquered and unified the peoples of Central Mexico. The Empire comprised three confederated city-states including Tenochtilan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan.

Canada: Viking Settlement

L’Anse aux Meadows is an archaeological site date to c. 1000, discovered by the Norwegian explorers Helge and Anne Ingstad during the 1960s. The site is a Viking settlement and is believed to be the Vinland settlement established by the explorer Leif Erikson. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/nl/meadows 

Middle East: The Crusades

The Crusades were a series of religiously motivated wars between Christians and Muslims to seize control of the eastern Mediterranean area known as the Holy Land. Between AD 1096 and 1291, eight crusades were fought.

Europe: Medieval Warm Period

The Medieval Warm Period was marked by the presence of a warmer climate in the North Atlantic region from around AD 950 to 1250. The reasons for the warming are not fully understood and may relate to solar activity, decreased volcanism, or oceanic factors. At the same time in the Pacific sphere the climate was colder. The Medieval Warm Period ended in the Little Ice Age, a cold snap that lasted from the 13th to the 19th centuries. Crops in Europe did well under the warming event and the population doubled.  

England: Little Ice Age

Although this climate event is not considered a true ice age it was major cooling off period. The Little Ice Age (c. AD 1300 – 1850) began just as the Medieval Warm Period came to a close in Europe. Slightly warmer intervals punctuated prolonged cold intervals during this climate event, producing different climate effects in different regions of the world. During the Little Ice Age, in London, the Thames River would often freeze over for up to two months at a time, allowing “Frost Fairs” to be held on the frozen river.

End of the Late Precontact Period

Over the course of 14,000 years in North America human civilizations rose, fell, and rose anew. When Europeans first encountered Native Americans the Americas would have been densely populated cultural landscapes. With European diseases such as small pox as the vanguard of European colonialism the situation changed dramatically and in a matter of generations many ancient civilizations were wiped out. Through disease, warfare, destruction, and manifest destiny some Native American people, languages, and cultural traditions persevered. Modern Native Americans pass traditions and legacies to their children, educating them on their history. Evidence of past Native Americans is all around us, in Ohio and other parts of the country, illustrating the lives of past people.

Glossary