Gentle Site facts for kids
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Gentle Site
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Overview from above
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| Location | Confluence of Hogcamp Branch and the Rose River below Big Meadows, near Luray, Virginia |
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| Area | 0.3 acres (0.12 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 85003174 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 13, 1985 |
The Gentle Site (also known as 44-MD-112) is an archaeological site located in Shenandoah National Park in Madison County, Virginia, United States. An archaeological site is a place where people in the past lived or worked, and where we can find clues about their lives.
Contents
Discovering the Gentle Site
Archaeologists first officially recorded the Gentle Site in the early 1970s. This was part of a big study of Shenandoah National Park. The site stood out because of the special stone tools found there. Many of these tools were very small.
What Makes it Special?
Even though the Gentle Site was not very deep (only about 10 centimeters, or 4 inches), it was one of the largest sites found in the park. Over 5,000 artifacts (objects made by humans) were discovered across an area of about 6,000 square meters (about 1.5 acres).
Where is the Site Located?
The Gentle Site is found near the Big Meadows area. This spot is where the Rose River begins. It's also where a small stream called Hogcamp Branch joins the river. The site is about 2,200 feet (670 meters) high. It sits just below Fisher's Gap, which is over 3,000 feet (914 meters) high.
Why This Location?
Being right by the river, near pools and waterfalls, suggests that ancient people might have used this spot for fishing. They could have caught fish like the brook trout. Earlier studies had already noticed this site because of the many artifacts visible on the ground.
What Did Archaeologists Find?
The 1970s study found different types of projectile points (like arrowheads or spear points) under a path that crosses the site.
Tools and Pottery
- Most of the points were from the Woodland period, which was after AD 1300.
- A smaller number of points looked like those from the Early Archaic period, which was before 4500 BC.
- Archaeologists also found about 25 pieces of pottery, called sherds. Most of these were from a style known as the Albemarle series.
Stone Artifacts
Most of the stone tools found at Gentle were made from quartzite. Other materials like cryptocrystalline and quartz were also used. Many of these artifacts were tiny lithic flakes. These small flakes were probably created when people sharpened existing blades. The site also had two scrapers (tools for cleaning hides), a chopper (a basic tool used like a millstone for grinding), and a hand drill.
Life at the Gentle Site
The fact that people lived at the site during the Early Archaic period and then again thousands of years later during the Woodland period is common for many important sites in Virginia. In the 1970s, archaeologists didn't know much about the ancient people who lived in the mountains of Virginia during the time between these two periods.
A Base Camp
Archaeologists believe the Gentle Site was a base camp for hunting and gathering in the mountains. This is because they found cryptocrystalline stone, which comes from the Shenandoah Valley (not right near the site), and many projectile points. It seems that villagers from the Valley would visit this camp during the summer and autumn months.
Protecting the Site
Because of its important archaeological value, the Gentle Site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. This helps protect the site so future generations can continue to learn from it.
