Locations of 750 Fish
Weirs Identified in the North Carolina Fish Weir Recording Project (Cranford
2019). |
During a brief period
of the year, a prominent fish weir is visible from the I-83 bridge in
Harrisburg, PA, facing south. (image: Melanie Mayhew) |
Establishing dates for stone weirs has proven to be
difficult, even in areas where they have received attention from professional
archaeologists. The traps or weirs located on the Potomac River by Strandberg
and Tomlinson are attributed to pre-contact Native Americans or early colonial
settlers. Moreover, several clusters of fish weirs in Pennsylvania are near pre-contact or contact period
Native American village sites, further suggesting that these locations may have
been used prior to the arrival of Europeans, although their continued use by
early European settlers cannot be ruled out.
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Fish weirs or traps
are often located at natural rapids such as these on the Susquehanna River (image:
Google Earth). |
Recognizing cultural landscapes is an important line of research for archaeologists as we strive to improve our understanding of past cultural behavior. Discussions with indigenous peoples can provide additional lines of evidence that will add to our knowledge of how weirs were made and used. Examination of archaeological collections containing dietary fish remains recovered from within close proximity of these weirs improves our understanding of early diets. Modern technologies, such as satellite imagery and LiDAR are non-destructive options for gathering useful data. Recognizing and recording cultural landscapes is an important endeavor for archaeologists seeking to better understand and preserve the past.
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The State Museum of Pennsylvania’s Online Collections
or
Additional Information about Fish Weirs:
2019 A New View of Southeastern Stone Fish Weirs. Poster presented at
the 2019 Southeastern Archaeological Conference, Jackson, Mississippi.
1992 Prehistoric Fishweirs in Eastern North America. MA thesis,
Department of Anthropology, State University of New York, Binghamton.
1993 Fish Weirs as Part of the Cultural Landscape. Paper presented at
the 1991 Appalachian Cultural Resources Workshop, Asheville, North Carolina.
Strandberg, Carl H. and RayTomlinson
1969 Photoarchaeological analysis of Potomac River fish traps. Am.
Antiq. 34:212-219.
2021 Dozens of ancient eel weirs uncovered in
Susquehanna. Bay Journal
For more information, visit PAarchaeology.state.pa.us or
the Hall of Anthropology and Archaeology at The
State Museum of Pennsylvania .