Life and Death among the Late Fort Ancient: Injury Recidivism and Perimortem Trauma at Hardin Village, Kentucky

Summary

Hardin Village is a Fort Ancient site located less than half a kilometer from the south bank of the Ohio River. It was excavated under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration in the late 1930s. The skeletal remains from the Late Middle and Late Fort Ancient Periods (A.D. 1450–1675) represent more than 300 individuals, both male and female, aged neonate to 60+ years. Adult individuals presented a range of possible cranial and post-cranial trauma, including blunt force, sharp force, and possible projectile trauma. Several individuals show evidence of repeated blows to the head and other body parts, possibly indicative of episodes of interpersonal violence. In contrast, juveniles with age estimations of less than 18 years show no evidence of violent trauma to the skeleton, suggesting that they were not likely to be targets of interpersonal violence. The results of the skeletal analysis at Hardin Village show repeated episodes of violent trauma that were often non-lethal, but which may have caused severe injury and potential disability among the adult survivors.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Blood in the Waters: Violence in the Mississippian and Late Prehistoric Eastern Woodlands

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15956