MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex kicks off its Fall Lecture Series with a discussion of the Asa Hill site presented by Professor Philip Fitzgibbons, director of the Archaeology Field Program at the History and Anthropology Department at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. The program, “The ASA Hill Site Revisited: A Review of Prehistoric Site Function and Lithic Technology Across Time and Place,” starts at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 29, and is free and open to the public.
The Asa Hill site is a prehistoric site dating to the Archaic and Woodland time periods located near the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio. Archaeologists have recovered a wealth of stone tools, including hundreds of projectile points from this site. It is located on a “saddle,” a type of landform thought to be well suited for hunting and perhaps processing game. Professor Fitzgibbons will present stone tools from the site as evidence of the presence of prehistoric hunters.
Operated by the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex features one of the largest conical burial mounds built by the Adena people between 250 – 150 B.C. and ranks as one of the largest earthen mortuary mounds anywhere in the world. Exhibits and displays in the Delf Norona Museum interpret what is known about the lives of these prehistoric people and the construction of the mound. The complex also houses the West Virginia Archaeological Research and Collections Management Facility.
Admission to Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex is free. The Delf Norona Museum, located at 801 Jefferson Avenue, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday. Access to the Mound and other outdoor areas closes at 4:30 pm.
For more information about activities and programs at Grave Creek Mound, contact Andrea Keller, cultural program coordinator, at (304) 843-4128 or andrea.k.keller@wv.gov or visit www.facebook.com/gravecreekmound and www.twitter.com/gravecreekmound.