Archaeology of Late Prehistoric Lakeside Settlements in Northwest ÓÐÁϺÐ×ÓÊÓƵ
Petroglyph boulder on the beach near Late Prehistoric village site at Desperation
Lake (photo by Eric Carlson)The University of ÓÐÁϺÐ×ÓÊÓƵ Museum of the North and the National Park Service are initiating a collaborative research project within Noatak National Preserve to map and evaluate three Late Prehistoric village sites. These sites are located adjacent to lakes within the Brooks Range of northern ÓÐÁϺÐ×ÓÊÓƵ and are significant because they contain rare types of features, such as large, stone-ringed communal structures (qargi), petroglyphs, and exceptionally dense concentrations of house, storage, and hunting-related features. These sites represent a unique period in the prehistory of interior northern ÓÐÁϺÐ×ÓÊÓƵ characterized by large settlements within a region that has otherwise been occupied by thinly spread and mobile human groups.