Archaeology in Indiana - the Science Today - Timeline

1965
Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology at Indiana University is established (Glenn A. Black Laboratory Web site).

1966
Angel Moundsplaced in National Register of Historic Places; also a National Historic Landmark (DHPA files).

1966-1984
Ball State University excavates Van Nuys site, Henry Co.; over 3,000 Late Woodland artifacts (Glenn A. Black Laboratory Web site).

1968
National Anthropological Archives (NAA), Smithsonian Institution, is established (National Park Service Web site).

1968-1969
Indiana University excavates Fort Ouiatenon site near Lafayette (Glenn A. Black Laboratory Web site).

1974
"Terracotta army" of over 6,000 life-size model soldiers is discovered in the tomb of China's first emperor (Williams, 649).

1974
Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act passes. Assigns oversight and coordination of U.S. public archaeology to U.S. Secretary of the Interior (National Park Service Web site).

1977
Gary Ellis is first professional archaeologist hired by Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DHPA files).

1977
Council for the Conservation of Indiana Archaeology established; promotes archaeology as profession (DHPA files).

1977-1979
Virgil E. Noble, Jr., Michigan State University conducts excavations at Fort Ouiatenon, Tippecanoe County, Indiana (Glenn A. Black Laboratory Web site).

1979
Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) passes. Affirms public policy of Antiquities Act of 1906 and promises to improve enforcement of resource protection (National Park Service Web site).

1980
Warren's Shaft, vertical well that was part of Jerusalem's waterworks before King David, is rediscovered; provides access to ancient waterworks system (Williams, 710).

1980s
Underwater archaeological investigations document over 50 Indiana shipwrecks from historical data and result in the field recording of 16-17 wrecks (Jones, 1997:15).

1982
Mary Rose, 16th century warship, sunk off Portsmouth, England, raised; contains Tudor artifacts (Mary Rose Trust Web site).

1983
Roman Temple of Sulis Minerva in Bath, England excavated (Williams, 741).

1983-1988
Indiana State University surveys thousands of acres in southwest Indiana and locates hundreds of prehistoric and historic sites (Stafford et al., 1988).

1984
Remains of an 8,000 year old settlement, Atlit-Yam, discovered underwater off the coast of Israel (Williams, 749).

1985-1986
Ball State University conducts excavations at the All Seasons site, a significant site in Miami Co. providing data on a 3,000 year period of history (Cochran and James, 1986).

1986
Archaeologists in Egypt discover undisturbed 3,500 year old tomb of Maya, Tutankhamen's treasurer (Williams, 772).

1986
French archaeologists report discovery of hearth in Brazilian rockshelter radiocarbon dated to about 32,000 years old--oldest archaeological site in New World (Williams, 772).

1986
U.S. archaeologist discovers tomb of Mayan woman of high status challenging theory that Mayan women held in low esteem (Williams, 773).

1986
Indiana University excavates Swan's Landing site, Harrison Co. This significant Early Archaic Site is listed in the National Register of Historic Places (Glenn A. Black Laboratory Web site).

1986
Indiana University excavates Little Pigeon Creek Cemetery, Warrick Co.; 31 burials uncovered, including a dog (Glenn A. Black Laboratory Web site).

1986
The nature and age of prehistoric and early historic human use of caves in southcentral Indiana is studied (Munson and Munson, 1990).

1986-1987
Indiana University excavates Mississippian house basin site, Stephan-Steinkamp, Posey Co. (Glenn A. Black Laboratory Web site).

1986-1988
IUPUI investigates historic aboriginal sites in Tippecanoe Co. (Jones and Trubowitz, 1987; Trubowitz, 1989).

1987
In Wash., archaeologists find Clovis spear points from about 11500 B.C.; one of oldest occupied sites in North America (Williams, 784).

1987
Excavations by Indiana University continue at Fort Knox II, Knox Co.; military fort occupied 1803-1813 (Glenn A. Black Laboratory Web site).

1987
The Abandoned Shipwreck Act passes. Places management responsibility of shipwrecks with state governments (National Park Service Web site).

1987
The Hesher site, a Late Woodland cemetery in Henry Co., is investigated by Ball State University. (Cochran, 1988).

1988
Archaeologists investigate one of the largest Hopewell mounds in the eastern U.S. The Mount Vernon, Posey Co. site reveals exotic and unique artifacts and is currently listed in the National Register of Historic Places (Tomak, 1990).

1989
Indiana enacts one of U.S.'s most stringent archaeological and human burial site protection laws, now Indiana Code 14-21-1(DHPA files).

1989
Muskegon Shipwreck, La Porte Co., becomes 1st Indiana marine archaeological site listed in National Register of Historic Places (DHPA files).

1990
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) enacted (National Park Service Web site).

1990-1991
Indiana University surveys Oliver Phase occupation sites; prehistoric farming culture occupied east and west forks of White River valleys between 1000 and 1500 A.D. (Glenn A. Black Laboratory Web site).

1991
Indiana University excavates Clampitt site, Lawrence Co.; permanent Oliver Phase village occupied during 14th century (Glenn A. Black Laboratory Web site).

1992
Largest Bronze Age hill fort in the British Isles covering an area of 320 acres discovered in Republic of Ireland (Williams, 841).

1992-1993
Indiana University studies the Mann Site, one of the largest and most complex archaeological sites in the region. Other Mann Phase sites exist in southwest Indiana (Ruby, 1993).

1992-1993
University of Notre Dame investigates Woodland and Early Historic period settlement patterns in La Porte Co. (Schurr, 1993).

1993
Wabash and Erie Canal Corridor in Tippecanoe Co. is surveyed for archaeological sites (Bischoff, 1994).

1993-1994
Indiana University excavates Cox's Woods, an Oliver Phase site (Glenn A. Black Laboratory Web site).

1995
Indiana-Purdue University Fort Wayne conducts archaeological survey of the St. Mary's River valley--2,511 acres and 131 sites (Jeske, 1996).

1995
Purdue University conducts an archaeological survey of 1,365 acres in White Co. (Helmkamp, 1996).

1995-2000
Indiana State University excavates remarkable Kirk tradition site in Harrison Co. Hundreds of thousands of artifacts recovered (Stafford, 2000).

1996
Governor Evan Bayh issues proclamation, establishing state's 1st Indiana Archaeology Week, celebrating science of archaeology (DHPA files).

1997
Indiana Department of Natural Resources publishes professional archaeological journal, Indiana Archaeology (DHPA files).

1997
Archaeological investigations by Ball State University expand knowledge of African-American and Quaker farms in East Central Indiana (Rotman et al., 1998).

1997-1998
Investigations by Ball State University and Hoosier National Forest archaeologists provide new information about rockshelter utilization during the prehistoric period (Waters and Cochran, 1999).

1998
British archaeologist reports that radar surveys of Angkor, Cambodia, reveal temple remains from 8th-13th centuries A.D., much older than previous ruins found there (Williams, 935).

1998
Israeli archaeologists report discovery of oldest ruins of Jewish synagogue from around 70 A.D. near Jericho in the West Bank (Williams, 935).

1998-1999
University of Notre Dame studies prehistoric mounds in northwest Indiana (Schurr, 1999).

1999-2000
Cemetery and graves protection legislation is strengthened by Indiana General Assembly. Plans made for statewide database of cemeteries (DHPA files).

2000
Indiana has over 47,000 recorded archaeological sites. Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology maintains a database of the sites (DHPA Web site).

2000
Wildfires at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado endanger numerous archaeological sites. Archaeologists perform emergency archaeology to recover information (Scripps Howard News Service).