Page 167 - Maryland Historical Trust - Archaeology Colonial MD

not necessarily diagnostic, their presence within the site was among the highest concentrations of Late Woodland material. Barring no later 18th- or early 19th-century material contamination at the site, it is possible and likely that these arti- facts are associated with Native activity at the site during the 17th century.
Documentary records suggest that the fort was possibly established around 1650 and aban- doned sometime between 1658 and 1664. This relatively short occupation period may account for the lack of more artifacts of European origin. This is coupled with the fact that the English were not in as-close proximity to or in as-constant contact
as places such as the Choptico reservation. The 1703 deed did not identify this particular loca- tion as the fort either, which would have likely been the location of the Mattapanian tayac or leader who would have had some control over the flow of goods between the Mattapanian and the English.
Ultimately, the Mattapanian lost their an- cestral lands on the Patuxent. Some may have stayed in the vicinity (much like the Choptico) well into the 19th century. Others may have gone to the nearest villages across land on the Poto- mac such as with the Piscataway or Mattawoman. Still, others may have gone to Choptico, as they
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figure 28
Distribution of artifacts at 18PR346.