Conclusions

    The most startling aspect I have seen of scraper-planes in Virginia is their presence on almost every site I have looked.  Why have they been missed?  While they are present on most sites, there are some sites where they are much more abundant.  On the western side of the Dismal Swamp for instance on certain sites, they are as common as hammerstones.  At one site in particular, they were found abundantly in a higher area away from a water source.  This area does not produce abundant projectile points but does produce fire-cracked rock, hammerstones, and scraper-planes.

  The scraper-plane was often made on materials not suitable for much else.  Around the Dismal Swamp, this may clearly be a reflection of no local lithic sources.  Relating to this in Sussex Co. often Scraper-Planes were made on thick pre-forms or bifaces.

     Although difficult to identify at times scraper-planes may produce information about cultures not visible without them.  If we could possible demonstrate their use for certain tasks and specific wear patterns caused by their use, we could see what resources were being exploited at different sites.  If for example breaking down fibrous plants for twine production produced the wear in Fig. 4C, then it might be evidence of net making for fishing.  Indeed, a lot of research is needed.  Two items that are most crucial for this are stratigraphic dating and use experimentation. 

  Acknowledgments:     I would like to extend special thanks to John Kemp of Chesapeake and Edward Bottoms of Portsmouth, both who allowed me access to their collections for inclusion in this study. I would also like to thank Dr. E. Randolph Turner III  of the Portsmouth Regional Office of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources for his assistance.

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