Brooklyn Rolph studies biology at Mary Baldwin University in Virginia. On September 21, she found an ancient stone tool during a class trip to Virginia’s Eastern Shore. It was the last day of the trip. The students were there to study plants and animals near the sea.
After lunch, Rolph went to look around a pile of shells on an island. She was searching for shark teeth but found a pointed stone near the water. She quickly told her teachers about it. They were very excited by her find.
The stone was the tip of a spear, a long tool for hunting. It is about 6 inches long, and experts think it is about 4,500 years old. Native American people made this kind of tool along the US East Coast between about 4,500 and 3,000 years ago. They may also have used it as a knife.
Professor Paul Callo said the sea was rising and would soon cover the stone. The island belongs to the state of Virginia. This means the stone tool belongs to the state, too. Experts took it to a state office to study it further.
