Part of this increased attention to publications has been reflected in the creation of two new publication series focused on both the public and professional audiences. This information is disseminated through various outreach programs and exhibitions which provide the public with a better understanding and appreciation for the 10,000 years of cultural heritage within this portion of the United States. The program curates major prehistoric and historic archaeological collections, and photographic, map, and documentary records from over 3000 Illinois sites. With well over 1,000,000 items, it includes significant lithic, ceramic, and ethnobotanical comparative collections, Cahokia collections, and the FAI-270 project collections upon which the American Bottom chronology was based. The first three focus on the evolving nature of plant usage leading up to corn agriculture ad on specific tools that Native American Illinois groups adopted to cultivate, harvest, process, and store plants.
Recovery highlights how archaeologists find, process, and identify prehistoric plant remains.
Harvesting the Past consists of a variety of paneled photographs, illustrations, and text interspersed with actual artifacts and plant remains excavated from prehistoric sites in Illinois. The exhibit will comprise of a series of vertical panels and story boards, with photographs, text, and selected artifacts. The exhibit will enable the state to bring the site to the attention of a broader public. This exhibit features the 40 year partnership between the State of Illinois and the University of Illinois. The Illinois Department of Transportation in conjunction with the Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program conducts archaeological research within the state of Illinois.