56 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 94 



No Stratified mass of camp refuse was encountered to reveal the 

 sequence of the diflferent types of pottery, and consequently it was 

 necessary to compare the sherds with others of similar ware that 

 had been discovered elsewhere under such conditions as would de- 

 termine their relative age. Sherds bearing the impression of basketry 

 are believed by the writer to be one of the earliest types of earthen- 

 ware found in the Middle Atlantic and Southeastern areas and one 

 which should be attributed to a very early culture. Fragments of this 

 ware have been recovered from sites in the Rapidan-Rappahannock 

 area, and other similar sherds occur far southward on the Atlantic 

 Coast, thence westward to near the Mississippi, proving its widespread 

 distribution. This early period of occupancy of the valleys of the 

 Rapidan and Rappahannock is believed to have preceded by centuries 

 the arrival of the historic Siouan groups, but the direction from which 

 the ancient tribes first entered the region has not been determined, 

 although it is the belief of the writer that it was from the north. 

 Fragments of other vessels found on many sites undoubtedly represent 

 the work of the historic Siouan and Algonquian tribes, and many of 

 the vessels may have been made and used even after the settlement of 

 Jamestown. 



Stone implements likewise suggest two clearly defined periods, 

 the earlier being represented by the crudely flaked objects, altered 

 through long exposure, the later by the polished celts and grooved 

 axes, much fewer in number. 



The discovery of points of the recognized Folsom type, specimens 

 of superior workmanship, presents a problem that may be difficult 

 to solve. One example was found near the Rapidan a short distance 

 west of the region now being considered, another was discovered near 

 the banks of the Rappahannock some 15 miles below Fredericksburg. 

 The Rapidan-Rappahannock area, therefore, must have been tra- 

 versed, if not occupied, by the makers of this highly specialized form 

 of point. Other objects of stone were necessarily made and used 

 during the same period, and possibly some of the oldest of the num- 

 erous flaked implements were the work of the makers of the Folsom 

 points ; however, that is another question that remains to be answered. 



Thus it is evident that the country beyond the falls of the Rappa- 

 hannock, the Rapidan-Rappahannock area, has been occupied or 

 frequented by man through the centuries, but floods and other forces 

 of nature have so changed the surface of the narrow valleys that 

 scant traces of the native camps and villages remain. 



