Ask an Archaeologist #8

?      What is the most common artifact found in Charles County?

Broken bits of stone, or flakes--waste products from stone tool making by Native Americans--are among the most common artifacts found in Charles County. Bits of brick dating from the last 300 years or so of European colonization and settlement also are up there among the more common artifacts and, at first blush, they are about as interesting as the flakes of stone. Both, however, can reveal a lot about the people who left them behind...if we carefully consider how to collect and analyze them. A scatter of flakes could reveal stone tool making or a camp in which other activities occurred. A cluster of bricks could represent a dwelling, a temporary kiln in which the bricks were made, a well, or any number of other structures from a farmstead, a grist mill, an iron furnace, or a fortification. Making sense of common finds and rare finds is what archaeology is all about.

Answer provided by Dr. James Gibb

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