The Intersection of Natural and Cultural Distributions of Toolstone in Path Valley, Pennsylvania

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Toolstone and Mineral Geography Across Time and Space" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The archaeological resources of Path Valley in Pennsylvania contain a limited number of toolstone types. The primary toolstone is chert, native in the valley bedrock and readily accessible from both primary and secondary geologic contexts throughout the valley. Crystal quartz was used less often but is also locally available in the valley. Other toolstones found on sites in the valley include a regionally prominent rhyolite and Pennsylvania Jasper. Path Valley is a small, geographically isolated setting that served as both a physical and cultural corridor for Native Americans during both precontact and post-contact times. This area has largely escaped professional archaeological attention until recently and so little is known about the archaeological resources of this potential connection between major river valleys of the Mid-Atlantic region. This paper examines the distribution of toolstones within Path Valley’s geographic, geologic, and cultural contexts. These contexts form a baseline of data for discussion of precontact economy, mobility, settlement location, and social network development in South Central Pennsylvania.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Toolstone and Mineral Geography Across Time and Space   •
• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 53465