Prehistoric USA

Road workers have discovered an ancient burial mound full of prehistoric treasures–in Indiana! When a bulldozer operator made off with some of it, he ended up in jail. When this prehistoric culture was discovered among the rolling hills of the state in the 19th century, it was called the "Hopewell Site," after the farmer who owned the 500 acres where artifacts were first found. The Archeology Daily News quotes archeologist Michele Greenan as saying, "What you’re seeing here is a complex of earthen structures that were very purposefully and very specifically built along this cultural landscape. There’s a number of mounds here–probably 20, maybe even more mounds, earthen architectural features that were built for different purposes" (like ceremonies or burial). They’ve even found a Hopewell version of Stonehenge, but built of wooden posts. And like so many ancient cultures, it has totally disappeared. (NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to these two shows).

There may be an even more remarkable discovery that could rewrite the history books of this area: Scientists have found evidence of lead smelting in these artifacts, a practice that was assumed to have taken place in North America only after the French arrived, 1,000 years after the Hopewell Tradition. Greenan is quoted as saying, "It’s a sleeping giant, and it’s going to take its place as one of the most important archeological sites in North America." Evidence for a diversified sea-based economy among inhabitants of North America, dating from 12,200 to 11,400 years ago is also emerging from another part of the USA: three sites on California’s Channel Islands. Researchers have discovered scores of arrowheads and crescents dating to that time period. The artifacts are associated with the remains of shellfish, seals, geese, cormorants and fish. Some of the arrowheads are so delicate that their only practical use would have been for hunting on the water.

Treasure from early cultures has been discovered in SOUTH America to, buried beneath a lake in Guatemala. But archeologist didn’t know it was there until they spent 40 years cracking the code in an ancient book containing a map to the treasure. Fox News quotes Mayan expert Joachim Rittsteig as saying, "The Dresden Codex leads to a giant treasure of eight tons of pure gold." Our genes may still be prehistoric, but here at unknowncountry.com, we’re up on the LATEST edge news! Come hear all about it at our Dreamland Festival in June, where all your favorite Dreamland hosts will be presenting THEIR ideas about what will be happening in the future!