Browse Items (71 total)

This photo shows a replica of a deer antler tool found at a site in Orange County in the northern Piedmont. The tool was used to create or repair stone tools by pressure flaking, a method in which a pointed object was used to detach small flakes…

This artifact was found at a late Woodland site in Halifax County in the southern Piedmont. It is a large section of antler that appears to have been used as a pick. The cut-and-pointed short prong shows considerable use wear and polish. (Photo…

This sharpened antler projectile point was found at a Late Woodland site in Montgomery County, southwestern Virginia. Bone or antler projectile points were sometimes advantageous over stone ones because they were far lighter. The tips of deer…

Because archaeologists have been able to organize stone projectile point types into the order in which each type was used, they can often use the points found at a site as information to date that site. This is called relative dating, and is used…

Because archaeologists have been able to organize stone projectile point types into the order in which each type was used, they can often use stone points to date sites at which they were found. This is called relative dating, and is used when an…

These assorted bone tools were found at a Late Woodland site in Montgomery County, southwestern Virginia. They include awls, hairpins, a beamer (top), a turtle shell cup or bowl, fish hooks, a needle and other hideworking tools, and a knife made…

Sharpened bone and antler tips were often hollowed at the base and used as projectile points. These points are from a Late Woodland site in Henry County in the southern Piedmont. Bone tips may have been advantageous over stone points because they…

Bone tools are common Middle to Late Woodland finds at sites where the soil is not too acidic for bone to decay. Bone awls like this one from a site in King George County on the northern Coastal Plain were used to pierce holes for hideworking,…

Awls are one of the most common bone tool types found at Late Woodland sites where the soil allows the preservation of bone. Awls are tapered, sharp pointed tools that were used to pierce and perforate hides and other materials. They also may have…

These bone awls were found at a Late Woodland site in Halifax County in the southern Piedmont. These sharp tools were used to punctuate and incise clay, to pierce deer hide, and to perforate other materials. They were produced from deer, bird, and…