58 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 182 



Goodman (19J:4, p. 416), on the other hand, suggested: 



To reconstruct history from bits of rock surely requires the most exhaustive 

 exploitation of every possible avenue of interpretation, the fullest possible 

 knowledge of all of the relevant variables. It is possible that certain assump- 

 tions of cultural afBnity, based upon types of stone tools, might be somewhat 

 shaken were all of the evidence in. Conversely, certain apparent divergences 

 might prove to be more of degree than of kind. Thus an investigation of the 

 physical properties of materials used for stone tools must be regarded as a 

 significant sector within the area of archaeological focus, and a contribution 

 to a body of data through which the nature of an important variable may be 

 defined. 



In most cases the artifact was formed by percussion chipping, and 

 only rarely was pressure flaking resorted to. 



It was earlier stated that, in 1945 and the years following, J. V. 

 Howe located a number of Early Man and Archaic sites (44Mc66 to 

 44Mc72) within and bordering the John H. Kerr Reservoir area. He 

 intensively collected all artifacts and other remains, giving us com- 

 plete coverage of each. The locations of these were not revealed, lest 

 they be looted before proper study could be made. 



Wlien the writer first visited in the vicinity of Clarksville, Mecklen- 

 burg County, Va., in 1947, he was shown a great deal of this material 

 and was taken to each of these sites in turn. Mr. Howe has graciously 

 turned over all of his material to the Survey. Some of this material 

 has been described in earlier articles (Miller, 1947, 1948, 1949 a, 1949 

 b, 1950) in which a number of cultural phases of a fairly early time 

 were indicated, which drew attention to this section of Virginia. 



In 1950, seven Early Man and Archaic sites were thoroughly ex- 

 plored. At this time, it was found that most of the cultural material 

 had either eroded out of context and rested upon the present surface 

 or it was churned into the cultivated layer by plow action. Cultural 

 remains were fairly plentiful. Wliole and fragmentary projectile 

 p)oints, scrapers of various types, chips, and flakes, and a rare potsherd 

 comprise the assemblage. The few sherds recovered cannot be as- 

 signed to these early horizons since they are traits of a much later 

 cultural manifestation. 



The lithic assemblage at the various sites usually covered an area 

 roughly 200 feet in length by 50 or more feet in width. Many of 

 these sites were fairly close to each other, and whether they repre- 

 sented one large site or several smaller bordering sites could not be 

 determined. The artifact assemblages were almost identical, so sepa- 

 ration could not be made except upon stylistic basis. 



The industry indicated here is primarily a core and flake tradition 

 wherein nonpolyhedral cores were very much in evidence, most of 

 which were of a bluisli-gray chert. Practically all the artifacts un- 

 der consideration were initially fashioned by percussion. This is also 



