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How to Find Arrowheads in Maryland

In precolonial times, what is now Maryland was home to several Native American tribes, among them the Lenape, Nanticoke, Powhatan and Susquehannock. Arrowheads and other traces of their existence form a part of Maryland's many layers of buried history and are one of the reasons archeology is a popular pastime and a source of constant fascination for both amateurs and professionals in this region. Arrowheads were most commonly made of stone, with some made of bone or ceramic.

Things You'll Need

Topographical map
Magnifier
Sturdy container

Instructions

- 1
  Locate a promising site. Indians lived and hunted in many parts of Maryland; locate an area where the earth is already disturbed by erosion, farming or construction.
- 2
  Get permission. Permits are required to conduct archeological activities on public lands in Maryland. Arrowhead hunting on most private land is allowed with the permission of the landowner.
- 3
  Visit your site early in the day after a recent rainfall. Look for any signs of Indian habitation such as worked stone or burned rocks from campfires or pottery.
- 4
  Walk back and forth in a consistent pattern, covering the likeliest part of your site completely and keeping your eyes on the ground. Look for chips or flakes of the stone used by the Indians in the immediate area. When you see these, tighten your walking pattern into narrower sweeps.
- 5
  Examine likely looking finds. Look for pieces that have flakes sheared off, with ripple marks visible in the scars where the flakes were removed.

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