SUBMERGED PREHISTORIC ARCHAEOLOGICAL DEPOSITS IN THE NEW YORK BIGHT

Archaeologists have long recognized the potential for the presence of prehistoric deposits on the continental shelf beneath the oceans surrounding North America. Sites submerged by rising sea level may be an invaluable source of information regarding Native American subsistence and settlement patterns. This poster presents a review of methods used for identifying submerged prehistoric remains in the Mid-Atlantic, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for predictive modeling and remote sensing, focusing on an ongoing project in the New York Bight. Recent dredging operations off Sandy Hook, New Jersey accidentally unearthed a prehistoric deposit of over two hundred stone artifacts known as the Corcione collection. In 2003 and 2004, a team from Stony Brook University conducted scuba diving operations in order to assess the sea floor conditions around the dredged area, and to perform an underwater survey searching for more prehistoric artifacts. The study resulted in the discovery of more lithic artifacts that are consistent with those from the Corcione collection.