(From left:) Kevin Kusmer, Ken Tankersley and Michael Forbes document results of soil tests in Mariemont. Dr. Tankersley and the students are making an archaeological survey of the area to discover and document evidence of a large village on the site.
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At the village swimming pool, on a bluff high above the Little Miami River, an Ohio Historical Marker recognizes one of the most important archaeological sites in eastern North America.
It's long been known that American Indians buried more than 1,000 of their dead at this place, which archaeologists call the Madisonville site. The historical marker says it is "the largest and most thoroughly studied" site of the late Fort Ancient culture, which spanned the years from 1450 to 1670.
And yet, since 1879, when physician and archaeologist Charles Metz began excavating the burial grounds and ...