We are currently excavating Pig Point, so this page will be a little sparse until we wrap up the excavations in a couple months and start analyzing our finds, making pretty maps, etc. However, we have had some amazing finds so far this season, and want to share them with you! We are still excavating in the Upper and Lower blocks on the top of the hill, and also excavated four units down the hill this season. In the Upper Block, we are down into Strat 15(!) and are still finding cultural artifacts.

You might be wondering how the site fared in the earthquake, given the depth of the units and the fact that many historic sites were damaged. We were actually in the field at Pig Point when the earthquake hit, and it held up beautifully - the walls didn't collapse or lose integrity. The crew was a bit shaken, but it's a comfort to know that the site can withstand earthquakes just fine. Excessive rain is another story...

This season, we found ancient hearths deeply buried in the Upper Block that still contained enough charcoal to send off for radiocarbon dates. Stratum 8 produced a date of 4510 B.C., or about 6,460 years ago while a Stratum 11 date came in at 7205 B.C., roughly 9,150 years old! This is not only the oldest date from good archaeological context we have from Pig Point, but is also the oldest date from good context in the state of Maryland. This significant discovery helps solidify the importance of the Pig Point site in Maryland archaeology.

We have also discovered more overlapping Woodland period post holes in Upper Block units, along with Townsend and Mockley pot breaks (see above photo) and a Middle Woodland period stone hearth. Among the thousands of artifacts that we've recovered this season, we've found three beautiful Native American pipes! One of the pipes has an incised circle design running around the bowl, and was found in a colonial context.

If you'd like to come out and help us rediscover the past at Pig Point or any of our sites, please contact Jessie Grow, Lab Director and Volunteer Coordinator. You can find her contact info here.

Pig Point was featured in the Fall 2011 edition of American Archeology, the magazine of the Archeological Conservancy! Read the article here!

Read about our findings in our Summer newsletter, or read these news article about the site!

Archaeological finds boosts profile of Arundel's Pig Point. Frank Roylance, The Baltimore Sun, August 14, 2011.

Volunteer Q&A: Pat Melville with the Lost Towns Project. David Pecor, Edgewater-Davidsonville Patch, July 12, 2011.

Part III: Archaeology Site at Pig Point Continues to Yield Ancient Treasures. David Pecor, Edgewater-Davidsonville Patch, July 9, 2011.

Part II: Pig Point Artifacts May be Helping to Re-write History. David Pecor, Edgewater-Davidsonville Patch, July 1, 2011.

Part I: Archaeology Site at Pig Point Continues to Yield Ancient Treasures. David Pecor, Edgewater-Davidsonville Patch, June 30, 2011.

Amazing Artifacts Unearthed at Pig Point. E.B. Furguson III, The Capital, April 17, 2011.

Photo Slideshow - Pig Point Archaeology Dig. Joshua McKerrow, The Capital, April 16, 2011.

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