Archaeological sites represent places where people stayed, leaving artifacts and other material remains.
Archaeological sites may be as simple as a scattering of debris from making stone tools or as complex as a village site with many features. All types of sites give us important information about cultures from the past.
Many of today's archaeologists specialize in areas such as prehistoric, protohistoric, and historic archaeology.
Prehistoric Archaeology
Prehistoric archaeology studies the period of time before written records. In North America, this usually refers to Native American cultures before A.D. 1492.
She Who Watches (Tsagaglal), an ancient petroglyph overlooking the Columbia River is an example of a prehistoric archaeological site.
Protohistoric
Protohistoric is the study of the transition period between prehistory and the earliest recorded history.
Colonial sites involving literate and non-literates groups are studied as protohistoric situations. Kanaka Village near Fort Vancouver may fall into this category.
Historic Archaeology
Historic archaeology is the study of sites that date from the period after the arrival of Europeans in the United States. These sites include not only European cultures, but Historic Native American cultures as well.
Fort Vancouver, one of the first military installations in the Pacific Northwest, is an example of an historic archaeological site.
Bricks like these were manufactured by the Hidden Brick Company and were used in many buildings in Vancouver, such as The Academy (House of Providence) built around 1873.
Cathalpotle, a Native American village site near Ridgefield, is a great example of an archaeological site that existed during all three periods referenced above.
You can find additional information by visiting the links provided on our resources page.
