TReasuRes
iN THe saND
A G U ID E TO
b E AC h C
O M b in G
FOR AR T IFA C T S
Learn how to find
FossiLs & aRRowHeaDs Become an
amaTeuR aRcHaeoLogisT r tAn n E t A p bY
h Il l
trEASUrES in thE SAnd:
a guiDe To BeacHcomBiNg FoR aRTiFacTs pAt tAnnEr h i l l
caPiTaL ciTy Books
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
DeDicaTeD To aLL cHiLDReN wHo Love HisToRy & waNT To LeaRN FRom iT.
Capital City Books LLC Copyright 2011 by Pat Tanner Hill. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without the written permission of the publisher. ISBN 978-0-984288-8-2 Library of Congress Control Number 2011924788 Capital City Books LLC Richmond, Virginia www.capitalcitybooks.com
TaBL e oF coN TeNT s
More than Sand Activity #1: Go to the beach!
Activity #2: Artifacts talk back
7 16 21 22
American Indian Artifacts Activity #3: Meet Chief Powhatan
32
Colonial Artifacts Activity #4: Arti-FACTS Fossils Activity #5: Ready, set, trace! Activity #6: Who had it last?
40
Certificate of Achievement
51
Online Resources
53
About the Author
54
31
39
46 49
wa NT To go oN a sca veN geR HuN T ?
IN Te Re sT eD iN FiN Di Ng aR TiF ac Ts oR Fo ss iLs ? Let's get started!
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
* COULD WE5 ADD THIS HERE?
moRe THaN saND
Artifacts are the remains of things made by people long ago. When looking for artifacts, take a walk along the beaches of Gwynn’s Island, or any beach around the Chesapeake Bay when the tide is low. You could also find artifacts in Virginia Beach, or on the Eastern Shore. The coast, river banks, and fields of North Carolina are great places to look, too. I've even found points when walking in the woods of Ontario, Canada! If you aren’t near the beach, you can walk along a river or through a freshly plowed field. You can even look in your own backyard!
YOU'll bE SUrpriSEd
aT wHaT you caN FiND!
D ID yo u kNow? American Ind
ians have bee n here for at least 12,00 0 years!
The powerful Chief Powhat an and his tribe had a hu nting camp h e re about 400 years ago . Around that time, people from England settled here. So, the artifact s I find here in the Chesapeake Bay can be eit her American Indian or Colo nial, from Eng lish settlers.
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
How Do THese aRTiFacTs
wiND uP oN THe BeacH ?
The power of the tides causes the waves to break up the land. This process is called erosion. When erosion happens, it can reveal artifacts that have been buried in the ground for hundreds or even thousands of years.
( ( ( ( ( ( (
The artifacts wash out and the waves deposit them on the sand. The waves can also carry them back out to sea.
SO It IS IMpOrtAnt
To FIND THem BeFoRe
thEY ArE GOnE! The best times to beachcomb are after a storm, like a nor'easter or a hurricane. The beach gets churned up and all kinds of things end up on the sand.
10
( ( ( ( ( ( (
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
WhY dO WE WAnt tO find ArtifACtS ? Because they teach us about the people who lived here a long time ago. The artifacts tell us what tools and weapons they used, how their houses were made, and even what kind of pottery they liked. All kinds of information!
11
THe TiDe Leaves New THiNgs
oN THe BeacH eveRyDay.
The tide is high twice a day and low twice a day. You will find more fossils and artifacts when the tide is low because more beach will be showing. After big storms and hurricanes, the tide is really low. These can be some of the best times to go beachcombing. A tide clock is helpful for knowing when it is a high or low tide. Or you can check it in your local newspaper. You might also want to stop at stores that sell fishing tackle and bait, since they usually give out tide charts for free.
12
WhAt dO YOU nEEd
wHeN you go BeacHcomBiNg
fOr ArtifACtS ? It is good to have a bag and sometimes a stick for poking around in the sand. You could also use these when you're walking in a field. Remember, you will not be digging. You are looking for things that are on the surface, on top of the sand. Leave the digging to professional archaeologists.
WhAt CAn YOU find ?
THis is THe eXciTiNg PaRT. you NeveR kNow wHaT you wiLL FiND!
pAt'S StOrY I got interested in archaeology when I was in third grade. Someone had given me an old copy of National Geographic Magazine. It was all about archaeologists finding really neat things, like pottery and tools, from ancient Egypt.
I wa s H o o k e D !
*[PHOTO: CLIPPING OF ICONIC NAT’L GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE [E.G. YELLOW BORDER]; MAYBE SHELLS AS WELL NEED]
We lived near the Chesapeake Bay, and would go beachcombing for pretty shells. One day, I learned that Pocahontas and her father, Chief Powhatan, had lived practically in my backyard. Chief Powhatan had used the land as a hunting area. He and Pocahontas had lived several miles away. I thought that was interesting, so I decided to begin my search for artifacts.
15
acTiviTy #1: go To THe BeacH! 1 Tell the story of your day at the beach or
anywhere you looked for artifacts. ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ 2
Where did you go? _________________________
3
Who went with you? ________________________
4
Did you find any artifacts while you were beachcombing? ____________________________
5 What did you find?
___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ 6
What does it look like? ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
7 What do you think it was used for?
___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
8
Draw a picture.
17
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
When my mom and I first went out, I didn’t know where to look. I was so excited to be on the beach! I went down to the water and scooped up a handful of sand and shells. A big seagull flew over us, and I saw little sandpipers running away from the waves. Then, we started to scan the beach very carefully. We turned over all of the big shells so we could look for small things underneath. We looked for a long time, but we didn’t find anything. Well, I did find part of a plastic bottle. My mom picked it up, so we could recycle it later.
I waNTeD To give uP!
Then, I saw the biggest oyster shell I had ever seen. It was laying on the sand. Something sparkly was nestled inside.
When I looked closer, I could not believe my eyes. It was a perfect, small arrowhead, about an inch long.
I picked it up. It was warm from the sun. The edges felt sharp as I closed my fingers around it.
I HaD JusT FouND my firSt ArtifACt!
When we got home, I looked it up in a book. It was an arrowhead, called Palmer, and it was thousands of years old!
19
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
SinCE thAt dAY,
I Have goNe BeacHcomBiNg
maNy Times!
Sometimes, I don’t find any artifacts, but I still have a lot of fun. And I always keep looking.
I usually find one of three types of artifacts: American Indian, Colonial, or Fossils.
aR TiF ac Ts f O S S ILS
AM EriC An indi An
COl OnI Al 20
acTiviTy #2: aRTiFacTs TaLk Back 1 If people could find artifacts from your house (your
bedroom, your classroom) in another 400 years, what would they find? ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ 2
What do you think they would learn about you? ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
3
What kinds of things would survive? ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
4
Would your comic books survive? Would a plastic super hero figure last? What about video games? ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
ameRicaN iNDiaN aRTiFacTs
Many of the artifacts I find were made by the Powhatan Indians. They lived in the eastern part of Virginia when the English settlers came to Jamestown in 1607. There were many tribes of Powhatan. Altogether, they included close to 20,000 people. Each tribe had its own chief, but the greatest was the chief of all the tribes. His title was Powhatan. His real name was Wahunsenacawh, and he was the father of Pocahontas.
23
The Powhatan Indians were farmers, fishermen, and hunters. They lived in longhouses, called yehakin. These houses were made of tree branches, bark and animal hides. They respected nature and did not waste anything. Often, I will find tools that have been made from broken arrowheads.
24
PoiNTs
are what archaeologists call arrowheads. These are tips of arrows or spears used for hunting. They are made of different kinds of rock. Arrowheads come in all sizes and colors. Some are black, but they can also be different shades of brown and red. Some are even white! They have very sharp edges. Sometimes, they look like leaves. The best spear point I ever found looked like a huge leaf...
I aLmosT DiDN’T Pick iT uP!
25
Rocks that were hard but easy to chip were used to make points. The shape of a point will tell you a lot about its age and use. A book on American Indian artifacts or the Internet will help you learn about the points you find.
TooLs
are usually medium to large rocks that have one end chipped out, a hollowed out center, or a groove that shows it was used as an axe. Some tools were used for helping to prepare food, while other tools were used to make weapons, jewelry, or pottery. For example, the tools used to grind corn, nuts, or berries were different than the tools that were used for making points. They will have sharp edges if they were used to scrape skins, or shafts of arrows or spears. Larger rocks were used for breaking up smaller rocks. The rock chips were used to make points.
27
PoTTeRy
looks like small chunks of flat clay or mud, but has patterns on it. It’s really fun to find pieces that fit together like a puzzle. Broken pieces of pottery are called shards. American Indians made pottery by mixing clay with sand, crushed sea shells, and other materials.
1
2 3
1. Clay pottery 2. Clay marble used in a game 3. Bone carved for use as a tool
They made jars and bowls for storing and cooking food. They made marbles for their children and beautiful beads for jewelry. The American Indians taught the first settlers to grow crops and hunt to survive. They also taught them to make pottery. I have found pieces of this kind of pottery on the beach. It is called colonoware. Colonoware is a great example of how the American Indians and colonists interacted. I love the way they learned from each other!
29
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( The markings on American Indian pottery were made in many ways. Sometimes they used big wooden paddles, called stamping paddles, to make different patterns in the pottery. Thick string, corncobs and nets were often used.
TR y TH Is ! Play-DohŽ. Flatten a piece of ttern? ross it. See the pa Roll a corn cob ac t what made the It’s fun to figure ou y! ican Indian potter patterns on Amer
acTiviTy #3: meeT cHieF PowHaTaN 1 When people or things work together, we
say they interact. Can you write about how the American Indians and settlers interacted? ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ 2
List some contributions of the American Indians and the first settlers. ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
3
Pretend you meet the great chief Powhatan. What would you ask him? ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
4
What questions do you still have about artifacts? ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
coLoNiaL aRTiFacTs
The first settlers or colonists that came to America were from several European countries, like France, Spain, Holland, and England. The settlers who landed in Virginia in 1607 were English. They had to cross the Atlantic Ocean by ship. They were looking for a good place to grow crops and build businesses and wealth. When the settlers first came, they brought their favorite plates, bowls, cups, and bottles with them. As time went by, they began to make their own pottery, tools, and weapons. The first settlers learned a lot about living in a new place from the American Indians.
33
ceRamics
include pottery or anything that looks like part of a plate, bowl, or cup. They usually have a shiny surface or sometimes a colorful picture or pattern. Each time you go out, you may find shards from the same plate or cup. Use a plastic ice cube tray or egg carton to sort your pieces. Start to fit them together. Can you guess what the pieces are from?
34
Rhenish Ware is a kind of pottery that was used by the first colonists. It was made in Germany but sold in England and brought over by the first settlers in the Chesapeake Bay area. It was also sent to America on ships. One of the first pieces I found on the beach had the initials ‘GR’ on it. I didn’t know what that meant. Just about every time I beachcombed, I’d find more pieces, all in the same area. One day, I had enough pieces to put together. It was like putting a puzzle together. The pieces came from a mug, the one in the photograph. I learned from books that the ‘GR’ stood for King George. He was the king of England when our country was first settled. That helped me to know how old the mug was.
gLass
from bottles and windows. Old window glass can be almost as thin as a sheet of paper. Sometimes things in the distance look wavy when you look through old glass. Bottle glass can be clear or dark green in color and thick. Hold glass up to the light to check out the color. You may even see bubbles in it!
PiPe sTems aND BowLs
were used by the settlers to smoke tobacco, which was the most important cash crop in Virginia. The colonists learned to cultivate or grow tobacco from the American Indians. You can find parts of the stem, which look like white clay tubes with a hole through the middle, or the bowl, the part that held the tobacco. Sometimes, the bowls have designs on them. The rule is: the larger the hole in the stem, the older the pipe it came from. Indians made pipes from stone and clay. Colonists made clay and reed pipes.
37
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( OthEr intErEStinG thinGS
BRicks & BuTToNs
If you find a brick, it might be almost 400 years old! The first bricks made in the colonies were probably made in Virginia as early as 1612. Old bricks were handmade and are much bigger than the bricks we use today.
wouLDN’T iT Be FuN To FiND THe BRick makeR’s FiNgeR oR
HaND PRiNTs oN aN oLD BRick ?
38
acTiviTy #4: aRTi-fACtS 1 What do these words mean?
Artifact:
Archaeologist:
Shard:
Pottery:
Point:
Erosion:
Interact:
2
Give some examples of artifacts you might find on the beach. ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
3
When is the best time to look for artifacts— high tide or low tide? Why? ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
FossILs
You can also find fossils on the beach.
WhAt ArE fOSSilS ? They are the remains of plants or animals that are at least thousands, even millions of years old. Fossils are harder to identify, but a museum professional would help you. My brother found a fossil on the beach and took it to the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.
It was the tusk from a young Mastodon and was at least 11,000 years old!
thAt’S OldEr thAn
THe gReaT PyRamiDs oF egyPT! 41
My mother found another fossil while beachcombing. The Smithsonian said it was a fossil called Bryozoa. It was 400 million years old. Bryozoa are related to the coral family.
THe mosT eXciTiNg PaRT oF bEAChCOMbinG fOr ArtifACtS is NoT kNowiNg wHaT TuRNs
Up AftEr hiGh tidE. It is hard to find one particular class of fossil on the beaches of the Chesapeake Bay because some have washed down from the mountains in the western part of Virginia. The Bryozoa fossil is one example of a fossil that may have washed down from the mountains. 1
1. Fossilized Bryozoa 2. Fossilized tapir mandible 3. Fossilized tapir mandible (close-up)
2
3
Not too long ago, I found a jaw bone or mandible with some teeth. It was identified as the mandible of a tapir. Now, tapirs still live on the earth. They are an endangered species. They live in South America, Mexico, and Asia. But the jaw bone I found belonged to a tapir from the Pleistocene Era.
IT couLD Be miLLioNs oF yeaRs oLD! It was identified by archaeologists at the Smithsonian. They said it is one of only two found in this area. The team is so interested in my fossils and others found in the area that they are coming to look at our site!
43
1
2
3
1. Fossilized inner ear of a whale 2. Fossilized animal rib 3. Fossil reworked into a tool
After a few tries you will begin to tell the difference between an artifact and a rock or shell.
AlWAYS piCK Up
wHaT caTcHes youR eye.
Take a good look. If you’re not sure about it, put it in your bag to check out later. Begin to read books about archaeology, the science of discovering artifacts and also paleontology, the study of fossils. Remember, you don’t have to be on a beach to find artifacts. You can be walking through a field or next to a river.
YOU CAn EVEn bE in YOUr OWn bACKYArd!
acTiviTy #5: ReaDy, seT, TRace! 1
Trace and label the artifacts, fossils, or interesting shells you found.
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
dOn’t GiVE Up!
( ( ( ( ( ( (
The tide brings in all kinds of things throughout the day. Go with a buddy, wear sunscreen and use bug spray if you need it. Never trespass on private property. Always get permission when you can.
bE Kind & GEntlE
iF you FiND a cRaB, cLam,
oR oTHeR maRiNe cReaTuRe. ( ( ( ( ( ( (
Most can’t live outside of their natural habitat and should be left where you find them.
Have FuN & THiNk aBouT THis… You may find a point that has not been touched by a human for thousands of years until you picked it up!
47
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( The tide has uncovered these old bricks. Were they part of a house?
MAYbE YOU
wiLL soLve THe mysTeRy! I believe that artifacts should be enjoyed by everyone, so I’ve donated a lot of mine to the Gwynn’s Island Museum in Mathews County, Virginia. I also share artifacts at the school where I teach. I’m always bringing in new discoveries to share with my students. They love predicting what the artifacts were used for!
48
acTiviTy #6: wHo HaD iT LasT ? 1 If you could meet the original owner of the
artifact you found, what questions would you ask him or her? ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ 2
How can you sort or group different artifacts? ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
3
Draw a Venn diagram to compare and contrast American Indian artifacts and colonial artifacts.
You can also volunteer to help out at an archaeological dig. I did this in Virginia Beach. The archaeologists were trying to save artifacts at an American Indian site before new homes were built over it. I was very lucky that day. I found a pretty American Indian clay pipe bowl. It had been decorated with lines carved, or incised, in the clay.
hAVE fUn wiTH youR seaRcH! It's all about observing like a scientist and learning new things. Good luck!
____________________________ Date
gooD woRk! ____________________________ Pat Tanner Hill
Presented to ______________________________________________ in recognition of his or her valuable efforts in searching for and protecting historical artifacts.
CErtifiCAtE Of AChiEVEMEnt
oN LIN e Re so uR ce s
Gwynn’s Island Museum www.gwynnsislandmuseum.org Chesapeake Bay Watershed www.chesapeakebay.net
The Chesapeake for Kids sapeake/index.html www.beanies-webworld.com/che First Landing State Park /fir.shtml www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks See the Bay from Space NASA’s Chesapeake Bay Puzzle: kids.earth.nasa.gov/games/ches Today’s Chesapeake National Geographic: Historic vs. sapeake www.nationalgeographic.com/che Bay Trippers: An Online Field Trip baytrippers.thinkport.org
to the Chesapeake Bay
Mariner’s Museum www.marinersmuseum.org ent
Jamestown and Yorktown Settlem www.historyisfun.org
ni Museum
Pamunkey Reservation and Mattapo www.pamunkey.net
ric Projectile Points
A Basic Guide to Virginia Prehisto www.asv-archaeology.org
Be sure to have a parent help you
!
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
aBouT THe auTHoR Pat Tanner Hill has loved archaeology since the third grade. She took courses in archaeology and received her BA in anthropology at Case Western Reserve University and her MA(Ed) from The College of William and Mary. She currently teaches elementary school in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Pat would like to thank her husband, parents, and family for all their help and support. She wants to thank her mother for her help in identifying and demystifying many of her finds. She also especially wants to thank her father for all of his input in the writing of this book. They have been a wealth of information! Pat would like to thank Dr. Dennis Stanford, Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institute, and his wife, Dr. Pegi Jordi, Paleoindian expert, Smithsonian Institute, for their help in identifying the tapir jaw. She would also like to thank Dr. Darrin Lowery for his beautiful photographs of the tapir jaw, and Dave Bohask and Fred Grady for gluing the tapir jaw back together.
54
wHIlaTlYTOReUafsuinRde?s W
? Do you love Are you interested in r artifacts and ove disc to history? How would you like This guide ? old rs yea of ds that are hundre e an amateur archaeologist book will help you becom artifacts such as arrowas you learn how to hunt for lly used by American heads and pottery, origina ists. You can even find Indians and European Colon ls that could be thousands fossils of plants and anima You’ll be or millions of years old. find during a day at the surprised at what you can n backyard! beach, or even in your ow
sca veN geR HuN Ts
Fos siLs
uNc ove R HisT oRy !
$14.95