The Lower Potomac River Valley at Contact, 1500-1720 AD
A collaborative data source for scholars and students...
Alternately cast as the frontier, the edge of empire, or a node in the interrelated
web of the Atlantic World, the Chesapeake region was home to diverse
people whose experiences form a rich and complex story. This project focuses
on the Potomac Valley and synthesizes the results of decades of research by
archaeologists and historians on sites occupied by Native Americans, Europeans,
and Africans. Through close attention to materiality—including
buildings, landscapes, and portable objects ranging from the quotidian to the
exotic—the project examines the complex cultural terrain that emerged in
In the pages of this site you will find detailed summaries of over 30 sites,
artifact and context databases, and images of important or unusual artifacts. All
data, including the artifact databases, can be downloaded for the use
of other scholars.
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