Horticulture and gathering were important activities for the communities at Long Swamp (Cherokee County, Georgia) and this stone hoe likely played an important role in supplying food from local gardens and the edible wild landscape around the site. This tool could have tilled and prepared the site’s rich soil for maize, squash, and sunflower or used to dig up roots and tubers which were easy sources of carbohydrates.
The hoe was excavated close to the entrance of a domestic structure. It was found alongside a large number and diversity of artifacts, plant materials, and animal remains. These objects are typical of a domestic refuse pit and probably served the nearby structure’s occupants. The hoe’s associated objects tell us this stone tool dates to roughly A.D. 1100.
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