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Background of diorama showing Native American spear fishing.
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Background of diorama showing Native American spear fishing.

Credit: The State Museum of Pennsylvania.

There is a good reason so many of Pennsylvania's archaeological sites are found on the banks of rivers and streams. Waterways provided potable water, served as transportation corridors, and were a rich source of food. Native peoples used spears, homemade lines attached to bone hooks, nets weighted with crudely chipped stones, and weirs to catch an incredible variety of fish. Rivers and streams also attracted migratory birds and mammals, which were eagerly sought by prehistoric hunters.

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