Abstract Throughout the Paleo, Archaic, and Woodland trade and exchange of exotic or highly knappable materials was present throughout North America. One item of trade significance to the Middle Atlantic is chert, specifically jasper. Jasper is iron-rich, cryptocrystalline rock that is deposited in between limestone and/or sandstone, or it originated within gravel deposits from glacial or tributary movement. Access to jasper as a knappable material was from the quarries that are located in...

Introduction Oysters have been an important resource for humans for thousands of years. They provided easy access to protein with little effort required to harvest, and their shells could be used as tools and as a temper in the manufacture of ceramics. The abundance of oysters made them a dietary staple for the people living along the Chesapeake Bay, and for the Europeans who first settled here. The wealth of shell fish led to overharvesting and the depletion of oysters in modern times. It is because...