8a Fort Ancient Culture

Fort Ancient Farming
Although farming was only one source of food for the Fort Ancient people, it changed their lifestyle. They now required fertile, easily tilled soils, preferably near terraces where their villages would be safe from flooding. Spring planting, summer weeding, and harvesting in the fall tied the people to one place for a longer time. The added food provided by their farming could also support them in one place for more years.

Eventually, declining soil fertility and firewood supplies required Fort Ancient groups to abandon their village sites and move to others. Competition for good farmland may have caused conflicts between villages.

Catalog Number: E 511

Image Number: AL05218