ABOUT US

The Spark That Started It All

I found my first projectile point in a Lexington, Kentucky tobacco patch when I was 10 years old. I was fascinated. I knew it was old because Indians had made it. I thought it was around 200 years old. Imagine my surprise, after researching the object at the public library and questioning local collectors, when I learned that it was actually 7,000 to 9,000 years old! That was it! That single ancient tool sparked in me a lifetime interest in the people who made these tools and the techniques they used to make them.

For Private Citizens and Community Organizations

I began my professional archaeological career in 1997 when I joined the Kentucky Archaeological Survey as a Staff Archaeologist. I have been conducting lithic analysis for over 20 years. I have worked professionally in Kentucky, West Virginia, Indiana, and Ohio, and have analyzed lithic collections recovered from Archaic, Woodland, and Fort Ancient/Mississippian period sites in all these states. With respect to Kentucky, I have analyzed hundreds of lithic assemblages recovered from diverse site types – open sites, rock-shelters, and caves – located in all of Kentucky’s physiographic regions: from the mountains of far eastern Kentucky to the floodplain confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in western Kentucky.

Eric J. Schlarb, Director, KLAS, Archaeologist and Lithic Specialist

An Accomplished Flintknapper

I started flintknapping in 1997 to better understand the diverse techniques Native knappers used in the manufacturing of chipped stone tools, and to understand why they chose to use certain raw materials over others. Through study and experience, and by apprenticing myself to other knappers, I have become an accomplished flintknapper. I have demonstrated flintknapping for professionals, students, and the public in a variety of venues.

More About Me

Our research interests are not limited to lithic assemblages. I am also interested in understanding the highly variable earthwork construction and use, as well as ancient mortuary practices of the Early and Middle Woodland peoples (2,500-1,800 years ago) of the middle Ohio Valley. As a public archaeologist, I am deeply committed to sharing what I have learned with Kentucky’s citizens. I have assisted museums, colleges, libraries, historical societies, and Kentucky citizens in identifying the tool types, point types, and ages of the items in their chipped stone collections and interpreting what those facts have to say about the people who made them and the cultures who used them. I also have appeared in episodes of Kentucky Educational Television’s (KET) Kentucky Afield and Kentucky Life programs.

Published Works for the General Public

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Professional Publications

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