Browse Items (60 total)

These bone beads are made from the phalanges (wingtip bones) of turkeys. Virginia Indians produced many of these beads during the Late Archaic period. These two were found at an Early Historic site in Montgomery County, southwestern Virginia. Beads…

This turtle shell was found at a Late Woodland site in Montgomery County, southwestern Virginia. It has been carefully cut, polished, and smoothed around the rim and interior to produce a bowl or cup. Turtle shells were commonly used for this…

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…

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…

These bone beads were found at a Late Woodland site in Montgomery County, southwestern Virginia. They are highly polished and were probably strung onto a necklace or sewn onto clothing as decoration. Bone beads were produced during the Middle…

This bone beamer was found at a Late Woodland site in Montgomery County in southwestern Virginia. Beamers were made by cutting a groove into a long bone to produce two sharp, parallel edges. The tool was then used to scrape flesh and fat off of…

Although organic remains rarely survive at archaeological sites, they can sometimes remain in fragile condition if they have been charred. When Virginia Indians cooked food over a hearth, food occasionally fell into the fire and was preserved…

These quartz projectile points were found at a Late Woodland site in Halifax County in the southern Piedmont. They are mostly triangular and made from vein quartz or quartz crystal. Triangular points became dominant in the Middle and Late Woodland…

This stone drill was found at a Late Woodland site in Tazewell County, southwestern Virginia. Archaeologists can tell drills apart from stone projectile points used on spears or arrows because they are extra long and narrow in order to be optimized…

This stone drill was found at a Late Woodland site in Tazewell County, southwestern Virginia. Archaeologists can tell drills apart from stone projectile points used on spears or arrows because they are extra long and narrow in order to be optimized…