Editing Pre-Contact Settlements (section)

== Archaeological Sites in Philadelphia ==

Urban development has destroyed or buried most archaeological sites within Philadelphia, but some evidence of indigenous occupation has been recovered during construction projects and systematic excavations. Sites along the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers have yielded stone tools, pottery fragments, and other artifacts dating from various periods of pre-contact occupation. The areas around the mouths of tributary streams—such as Cohocksink Creek (now buried beneath Northern Liberties), Pegg Run (in South Philadelphia), and the Wissahickon—would have been particularly attractive settlement locations and have produced archaeological finds when disturbed by development.<ref name="philadelphia-arch">{{cite web |url=https://www.phila.gov/programs/archaeological-review/ |title=Archaeological Review |publisher=City of Philadelphia |access-date=December 29, 2025}}</ref>

The Philadelphia Archaeological Forum and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission work to document and preserve archaeological resources within the city. Environmental review requirements sometimes mandate archaeological surveys before major construction projects, leading to the discovery of previously unknown sites. However, the vast majority of the city's archaeological heritage has been destroyed without documentation, lost beneath the foundations of buildings, roads, and infrastructure constructed without awareness of or concern for indigenous remains. What survives represents only a tiny fraction of the evidence that once existed for pre-contact settlement in the Philadelphia region.<ref name="paf">{{cite web |url=https://phillyarchaeology.org/ |title=Philadelphia Archaeological Forum |access-date=December 29, 2025}}</ref>