Helton Phase
The Helton Phase represents a significant period in the latter part of the Middle Archaic era, particularly in the lower Illinois Valley. This phase is characterized by distinctive artifacts uncovered at archaeological sites, notably the Koster site in west-central Illinois. Key findings include ground and pecked chert tools such as woodworking adzes, stemmed points, grooved axes, and specialized weights for atlatls, suggesting advancements in technology. The emergence of the Helton Phase may have been influenced by various factors, including environmental changes and shifts in territory, leading to adaptations in lifestyle.
Archaeological evidence from burial sites reveals a transition from nomadic hunting practices to more settled communities that engaged in early forms of agriculture. These communities left behind significant remnants, including camp debris, middens, and mounds filled with lithic and bone artifacts. The remains primarily consist of women and children, along with occasional dog remains, providing a fragmented yet intriguing glimpse into the daily lives and social structures of Helton phase peoples. This phase ultimately reflects a period of technological innovation and social evolution in ancient Illinois.
Helton Phase
Related civilizations: Adena, Hopewell.
Date: 3500-2900 b.c.e.
Locale: North America, lower Illinois valley
Helton Phase
The latter part of the Middle Archaic period saw the rise of the Helton phase in the lower Illinois Valley. The artifacts discovered at the Koster site in west-central Illinois were remarkable because of the evidence of ground and pecked chert implements such as woodworking adzes, stemmed points, grooved axes, and improved weights for atlatls. Technological innovations possibly resulted from shrinking territory, climatic changes, or other unknown factors.
Evidence gathered from burial sites indicates a gradual movement from roving hunting bands to more settled peoples who engaged in some primitive agricultural practices and left behind camp debris, middens, and mounds full of lithic and bone remains. Some of those remains include antler hooks, handles, projectile points, stone atlatl weights, axes of at least three types, bone awls, and engraved pins. Most remains are those of women and children, with an occasional dog, leaving modern investigators with little more than intriguing bits and pieces of the picture of Helton phase life.
Bibliography
Brown, James A., and Robert K. Vierra. “What Happened in the Middle Archaic? Introduction to an Ecological Approach to Koster Site Archaeology.” In Archaic Hunters and Gatherers in the American Midwest, edited by James L. Phillips and James A. Brown. New York: Academic Press, 1983.
Cook, Thomas Genn. Koster: An Artifact Analysis of Two Archaic Phases in West Central Illinois. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University Archaeological Program, 1976.