"We know that the ancestors of the Choctaw Indians were here when the French came, but whether they were the same group here hundreds of years earlier, it's hard to tell," Giardino said. However, scientists have located ancient garbage heaps, archaeologically known as "middens," next to places where they believe village dwellings once stood. Archaeologists can often find evidence left in a midden of what the villagers ate, which could give important clues about the civilization itself.

Mississippi transportation department archaeologists, who are leading the search for artifacts, declined to comment on the work for fear of grave robbers and treasure hunters.

"We don't need to call attention to it because of looters and we are not able to speak to it due to federal law," said Lisa Siegel, a department spokeswoman.

What impact the discovery may have on the rebuilding of the area is uncertain.

City leaders are working with state and federal transportation officials to cut a temporary beach road, while several agencies work to rebuild a 30-foot bluff and the bay bridge.

By law, the Mississippi Department of Transportation could rebuild the beach road over the artifacts, so long as the project doesn't disturb the historic relics in any way.

Buz Olsen, the city's chief of operations, said the roadwork includes replacing old water and sewer lines that for years ran underneath the road.

"We were disturbing the ground where these artifacts were," he said. "Our trenching for the new utilities may be as deep as five feet and some of the artifacts are just four feet below the ground."

Olsen said the only portion of the project that could be compromised is laying of the utilities because the digging required could disturb the area.

"With the utility corridor, (archaeologists) are going to want to sift through every piece of dirt," he said.

"Things like this have been known to hold up projects for years," Olsen said. "Hopefully, it won't hold up the temporary road and the beach project."

The scenario changes if human remains are found.

Sherry Hutt, a program manager at the U.S. Department of Interior, said such a find could temporarily shut down the massive repair project on Beach Boulevard.

"If human remains are found (on federal land) and there's federal money being spent, then you would have to stop activity immediately and instigate consultation with the possible descendent groups," she said.

Hutt, national program director of the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act, which regulates the return of certain cultural items, said the stop-activity consultation period is at least 30 days.

However, David Seyfarth, a project engineer with state transportation department, said neither the village nor the archaeological excavation is likely to slow work on the U.S. 90 bridge.