Kentucky Archaeology

Prior to European colonization, Kentucky was home to many different people groups, including the ancestors of the modern Cherokee, Shawnee, Chickasaw, and Osage tribes.  

Archaeology in Kentucky is typically split into different time periods based on cultures, artifacts, and lifestyles. These include the Paleoindian (~12,500-8,000 B.C.), Archaic (8,000 – 1,000 B.C.), and Woodland (1,000 B.C. - 1,000 A. D.) and Historic periods. Some periods are also associated with an archaeological culture by the same name, such as the Mississippian (1,000-1650 A.D.). These periods are further split into ‘early’, ‘middle’, and ‘late’ stages. Most of what we know of Kentucky’s archaeology comes from the WPA excavations led by William S. Webb during the 1930-1940s.   

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