An Analysis of the use of Quarries and Workshops by Late Prehistoric People in Western Pennsylvania

Summary

During the Late Prehistoric period in the central Allegheny Valley of Western Pennsylvania, at least four major lithic raw material types were used for the manufacture of a limited variety of tool types. The major tool forms were small triangular projectile points and flake tools. The major raw material types used in this region include Onondaga, Loyalhanna, and Shriver cherts and Vanport Siliceous Shale. Workshops and quarries have been identified have been identified for these materials and are found on the north, south, east and west sides of this region. An analysis of the lithic assemblages from several villages investigated by our field schools and other projects has found that these raw materials were used throughout the area. Additional investigation of the raw materials used in the villages suggests that although the frequency of raw materials used in any particular village generally reflects the distance to sources, there are some materials that are present in greater than expected quantities. While there is no expectation that native groups in western Pennsylvania were transporting the quarry products in great quantities, it is possible that some raw materials could have been moved either overland or through canoe transport on the regional rivers.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage