Selby Bay Side-Notched Point

This is a Selby Bay side-notched point found in Piscataway Park, Maryland, on the eastern bank of the Potomac River. Piscataway Park's archeological record encompasses more than 11,500 years of human history and occupation, reflecting a diversity of cultures. This particular projectile point, called Selby Bay to reflect a patterned style of manufacture, was made by American Indians from 200 to 800 CE. Interestingly, it was made from rhyolite, a non-local stone. The closest source for rhyolite is located at least 95 miles away in the prehistoric rhyolite quarries of Catoctin Mountain Park in western Maryland. Prehistoric individuals would have travelled to the quarries at Catoctin to obtain the material and bring it back to Piscataway to make their tools, or tools were made by individuals living near the quarry and traded to groups that lived along the Potomac, including at Piscataway. They travelled so far for this material because it was easier to make stone tools out of than locally available stone. This particular projectile point has been used, worn, and resharpened until it was no longer usable, and was discarded by the prehistoric American Indians.