ARCHAEOLOGY IN DELAWARE
NATIVE AMERICANS
At the time of European contact, there were numerous Native American communities living in the Mid-Atlantic region and on the Delmarva Peninsula. Among the tribes that were present on land we now refer to as the State of Delaware were the Nanticoke and the Lenape.
Archaeologists have consistently been working in the state of Delaware for over 50 years, documenting the many thousands of sites that are found in nearly every area of the state. Investigators have uncovered many sites, establishing that Native Americans were present on the eastern seaboard for at least 12,000 years. Archaeologists have studied adaptations of native peoples to changing environments, examining many aspects of Native American societies, including economic behaviors, degree of settlement and movement, and food gathering techniques such as hunting, fishing, gathering, and the eventual adoption of horticulture.
Archaeologists have examined various types of settlements, and what they contain, such as house patterns, hearth types, food storage pits, and refuse areas. Researchers have also closely examined and documented changes in the material culture of Delaware’s native inhabitants, studying stone quarrying methods, stone tool manufacture and functions, and the manufacture and use of ceramic pottery.
For more information about the archaeological time periods and typical artifacts of the Native American past, look at this Outline of Delaware Prehistory.