Museum of the Coastal Bend > Educational Programs

ARCHEOLOGISTS UNCOVER STRATA

Students will use an idealized profile (drawing of strata) to interpret archeological levels.
Students will use the law of superposition to assign relative age to the strata.

Objectives (TEKS): 4.6 & 7.8 Skills The student uses geographic tools to collect, analyze, and interpret data. 4.22 & 7.21 Skills The student applies critical thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of sources. HS US History The student will use problem solving and decision making processes. HS World History The student will identify ways archeologists analyze limited evidence; analyze and organize information, interpret and use multiple sources of evidence.

Materials: Teacher made stratigraphic profile as below for students to see (drawing on board or overhead transparency).

Background: Soil naturally accumulates in layers (strata). Each strata may be distinguished by color and texture. Materials of human origin (artifacts) are also deposited onto the earth’s surface. Materials deposited first are the oldest and are found at the lower level. Most recently deposited materials are the youngest and are on top. This concept is known as the Law of Superposition. The Fort St. Louis site in Victoria County is a multi-strata site where layers have accumulated over centuries to tell the story of the people who lived there. The site is located on a high bluff overlooking Garcitas Creek. Archeological evidence suggests that for over a thousand years prehistoric Native American people lived on the bluff. From 1685-1688, a French settlement founded by La Salle, Fort St. Louis was there. The Spanish established Presidio La Bahia and lived on the same bluff and occupied the site from 1721 to 1725. During the 1800s and 1900s the site was part of a large cattle ranch.

Student Activity: Using the Fort St. Louis stratigraphy, draw a layer near the bottom of the board. Develop the profile beginning with the lower level and ending with the modern ground level (including grass). Tell how artifacts are deposited by people without naming the people. In the bottom strata include Native American, in the next layer of sediments and artifacts include French, next the Spanish, then Early settlers, and finally grass for the current surface. Deposits happen numerous times as people live on a site. Students will then view the profile of strata from the Fort St. Louis site.

Student Product: Students will answer the following questions. Looking at the soil profile of the Fort St. Louis site that you have created: Who left the artifacts in Level 1?, Level 2?, Level 3?, and Level 4? Which people came to the site first? Which people came to the site last? Help the students complete the chart below by recognizing the items associated with the different cultures (1) aluminum can, shot gun shell, square nail, (2) majolica pottery, ficas, scissors handle, (3) green olive jar, gun flint, franc, iron fragment, (4) scraper, arrowhead, pottery sherd.

Closure: Summarize how archeologists used stratigraphy to determine who lived at Fort St. Louis and when it was occupied.

Assessment/Evaluation: Predict what future generations will find in the strata for 2000 to 2005.

Stratigraphy for site on Garcitas Creek, Victoria County

• FOUND: A CLUE TO THE PAST (PDF)
• VIP (very important people): PAST AND PRESENT (PDF)
• SETTLEMENTS ALONG THE COASTAL BEND (PDF)
• A LINE ABOUT TIME (PDF)
• SCAVENGER HUNT (PDF)
• ARCHEOLOGISTS UNCOVER STRATA (PDF)
• RESOURCES FOR TEACHING & LEARNING MORE (PDF)