MEASUREMENTS: Sixteen autotypes from sites near Decatur, Alabama, provided both measurements and features. Measurements ranged as follows: length—maximum, 54 mm.; minimum, 29 mm.; average 42 mm.: shoulder width—maximum, 38 mm.; minimum, 22 mm.; average, 28 mm.: stem width—maximum, 25 mm.; minimum, 13 mm.; average, 19 mm.: stem length—maximum, 12 mm.; minimum, 4 mm.; average, 7 mm.: thickness—maximum, 7 mm.; minimum, 5 mm.; average, 6 mm. The illustrated example measures in length, 40 mm.; in shoulder width, 23 mm.; in stem width, 17 mm.; in stem length, 5 mm.; in thickness, 5 mm.
FORM: The cross-section is usually rhomboid; rarely, biconvex. The shoulders are usually tapered with expanded barbs but, rarely, may be straight, with or without expanded barbs. The blade may be straight or incurvate; rarely, recurvate. Blade edges are usually beveled on one edge and serrated. The distal end is acute. The corner notches range in width from about 3 mm. to 7 mm. and in depth from about 4 mm. to 7 mm. The expanded stem usually has straight side edges; the basal edge is usually incurvate but may be straight. Rarely, it is excurvate. It is usually thinned and nearly always ground.
FLAKING: Most examples exhibit broad, shallow flaking on the faces. Blade edges are serrated, either as a result of retouch accomplished by alternate removal of deeper flakes from opposite faces or as a result of beveling. The bevel angle varies from steep to a bevel that extends to near the center of the blade and may overlap from near halfway the blade length to the distal end. Most examples have one or more flakes struck from the basal corners of the stem to near the center of the basal edge. On many examples, the same type of flake may be struck from the basal corners of the stem up the sides of the stem towards the shoulders. This flaking tends to flatten the base and sides of the stem. Stem edges are finished by grinding.
COMMENTS: The type was named for the Decatur, Alabama, area where it was first recognized. The illustrated example is from Hulse Site 32 (Stone Pipe) Limestone County, Alabama. The type was described by Bell (1960). Two examples were recovered, one from upper half of Stratum II and one from the center third of Stratum II (Archaic) at Flint Creek Rock Shelter (Cambron and Waters, 1961). The type was not found in excavations in other early strata away from the Tennessee River. Local examples are found near the river on pre-shellmound sites. This evidence suggests an early Archaic association.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Ebenezer is a small, short-stemmed, point with rounded stem and excurvate blade edges.
MEASUREMENTS: The illustrated example, which provided the features, is 38 mm. long, 19 mm. in shoulder width, 15 mm. in stem width, 6 mm. in stem length and 7 mm. thick.
FORM: The cross-section is biconvex. Shoulders are narrow and are usually tapered but may be straight. The blade is usually excurvate with an acute distal end. The stem is short and rounded.
FLAKING: The blade and stem are shaped by broad, shallow or deep, random flaking. Short, regular retouch finishes the blade edges. Use of a rather poor grade of local flint at the Camp Creek Site (Lewis and Kneberg, 1957) may account for the relatively crude flaking on examples from this site.
COMMENTS: The Ebenezer type was illustrated as Rudimentary Stemmed at Camp Creek in Greene County, Tennessee (Lewis and Kneberg, 1957) where the illustrated example was recovered (Cambron Site 284). Fifty-eight examples were recovered scattered through the midden. The type was described as being "associated with early Woodland artifacts on other upper eastern Tennessee sites". A radiocarbon date of 2050 ±250 B. P. was obtained from the homogeneous midden at Camp Creek. One example was recovered from the middle of Stratum I (Woodland) at Flint Creek Rock Shelter (Cambron and Waters, 1961). At Flint River Mound Ma 48 (Webb and DeJarnette, 1948a) in the Woodland zone, one example was recovered from Zone A and one from Zone B. The Ebenezer point was dominant at the Rankin Site on French Broad River (headwaters of Tennessee River) where most of the ceramics were sand-tempered. This evidence would place the type in early to late Woodland association with a suggested date of from about 2000 years ago to possibly 1500 years ago or some part thereof. The type is similar to some illustrated examples of Cliffton points from Texas (Suhm, Krieger and Jelks, 1954), which are estimated to be near the same age.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Ecusta is a small, triangular, side-notched point with serrated and beveled blade edges.
MEASUREMENTS: The illustrated example measures 37 mm. long, 24 mm. wide at the base, and 7 mm. thick.
FORM: The cross-section is rhomboid. The shoulder barbs are weak, and are usually the result of beveling of the blade. The blade is straight, and beveled on one side of each face and, usually, serrated. The distal end is acute. The sides of the hafting area display shallow side notches. The base of the hafting area is usually broad and rounded but may be straight or incurvate. Striking of diagonal flakes from the basal edge on some examples results in flattening of the base.
FLAKING: This is a well-made point, shaped by random, percussion flaking and retouched with serrations along the blade edges.
COMMENT: The point was named "Ecusta" since this is the Cherokee Indian name for Davidson River, where the type was first recognized at the Osborne Site in Transylvania County, North Carolina (Harwood, 1958). The illustrated homotype is from Kyle Hardin's Baker 1 Site in Blount County, Alabama, where it was recovered along with four other examples. One example (No. 1, p. 42) was illustrated by Lewis (1961) from Guntersville Basin in North Alabama. Other examples were found on the surface in North Alabama, Kentucky Lake in Tennessee, and Madison County, North Carolina. The Ecusta is similar to Decatur and Plevna points inasmuch as all of these types are notched, beveled and may have diagonal flakes struck from the base. Plevna and Decatur points from Kyle Hardin's Baker 1 Site were very similar in workmanship to Ecusta points from this site. All examples are found with early Archaic materials. An Alabama pre-shellmound association is suggested, with a probable date prior to 5000 years ago.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a medium to large, stemmed point with oblique-horizontal flaking on the blade faces.
MEASUREMENTS: Measurements of the 15 paratypes (specimens of the original series including the holotype) range as follows: length—maximum, 92 mm.; minimum, 48 mm.; average, 72 mm.: shoulder width—maximum, 38 mm.; minimum, 30 mm.; average, 31 mm.: stem width—maximum, 19 mm.; minimum, 15 mm.; average, 17 mm.: stem length—maximum, 17 mm.; minimum, 11 mm.; average, 14 mm.: thickness—maximum, 11 mm.; minimum, 8 mm.; average, 9 mm. The illustrated example measures 128 mm. in length; 27 mm. in shoulder width; 20 mm. in stem width; 14 mm. in stem length; 9 mm. in thickness.
FORM: The cross-section is usually biconvex; rarely, plano-convex. The shoulders are usually tapered and may be expanded. The blade is excurvate; the distal end, acute. The hafting area is usually straight-stemmed but the stem may be expanded or contracted with a straight or, rarely, excurvate basal edge. One example could be described as having shallow side notches. About one-fourth of the original series have lightly ground bases.
FLAKING: One or (usually) both faces are shaped by oblique-transverse flaking. Retouch is minimized since the oblique flaking, in most cases, carries from the blade edges to near the center of the face and occasionally almost forms a median ridge. The transverse-oblique flaking is similar to that seen on the faces of some Angostura, Scotts-bluff and Brown Valley points and Cape Denbigh artifacts illustrated by Wormington (1957). This flaking technique was also used on some late neolithic Danish daggers (Bordaz, 1959).
COMMENTS: The point was named for the Elk River Site on Elk River in Limestone County, Alabama. The illustrated example is from Hulse 38E (Quad Site), Limestone County, Alabama. The type was listed in the depth distribution charts at Flint Creek Rock Shelter (Cambron and Waters, 1961) in the middle-Archaic stratum (10 examples) and Woodland stratum (two examples). An illustration was listed as Provisional Type 2, expanded stem. Two examples of Elk River points from Perry Site, Lu 25, on Seven Mile Island in Lauderdale County, Alabama, were used to illustrate the high art of flint flaking (Webb and DeJarnette, 1942). Examples from Levels 8 and 9, Zone A, at Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962) indicate a late Archaic association. Examples were recovered from Zones A, B, C, and D at Flint River Mound, Ma 48 (Webb and DeJarnette, 1948a). At Little Bear Creek, Ct 8 (Webb and DeJarnette, 1948b) six examples were recovered from the five-foot level and one from the six-foot level. This again indicates a middle- to late-Archaic type. Since most of the associations in the North Alabama—South Tennessee area are within the shellmound period, this type very likely appeared before 5000 years ago. It is probably not associated with the western point types with similar flaking.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Elora is a medium to large, thick, broad, stemmed point with unfinished base.
MEASUREMENTS: The 12 cotypes (including the illustrated example) which provided the features range in measurements as follows: length—maximum, 71 mm.; minimum, 53 mm.; average, 61 mm.: shoulder width—maximum, 57 mm.; minimum, 35 mm.; average, 43 mm.: stem width—maximum, 22 mm.; minimum, 20 mm.; average, 20 mm.: stem length—maximum, 15 mm.; minimum, 8 mm.; average, 12 mm.: thickness—maximum, 12 mm.; minimum, 7 mm.; average, 10 mm.
FORM: The cross-section is biconvex. Shoulders are usually rounded and tapered but may be horizontal or, rarely, expanded. The blade is usually straight; rarely, excurvate or incurvate. Some examples are finely serrated as a result of retouching along the blade edges. The distal end is usually acute; rarely, broad. The hafting area consists of a thick, contracted stem with side edges that are straight or incurvate and a basal edge that is usually straight but may be excurvate. The crudely finished stem base found on most examples often has an intentionally broken appearance. Removal of one or more flakes usually results in a relatively broad, flattened basal edge.
FLAKING: The flaking used to form the blade and hafting area is broad, shallow or deep, and random. Fine, sometimes steep, regular retouching along the blade edges accomplished by removal of alternate flakes from each face sometimes results in fine serrations. The shoulder and side edges of the stem may show some secondary flaking. The basal edge is usually unfinished but may show a little retouch as broad flakes were struck off or perhaps intentionally broken off to form a more or less flat stem base edge.
COMMENTS: The type was named from the Elora area of Lincoln County, Tennessee, where several sites have produced many examples of the type. The illustrated example as well as the cotypes are from Cambron Site 48 in this area. A variant classified locally as Elora Serrated is slightly larger than Elora and is strongly serrated by the alternate removal of flakes from opposite faces of the point. The Elora point was categorized Provisional Type 7, large, thick, stemmed, by Cambron and Waters (1961). In Zone A at the Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962) 2 examples were recovered from Level 1, 1 from Level 2, 2 from Level 3, 1 from Level 6, 1 from Level 9. One example of Elora Serrated was recovered from Level 1 in Zone A and one from Level 1 in Zone D at the Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter. A serrated example was also recovered from Level 8 at University of Alabama Site Ms 201 in Marshall County, Alabama. At Flint Creek Rock Shelter (Cambron and Waters, 1961) two examples of Elora were recovered from Stratum I (Woodland) and 3 examples from upper Stratum II (Archaic). At Little Bear Creek, Site Ct 8 (Webb and DeJarnette, 1948b) two examples were recovered from the 4-foot level, one from the 5-foot level and one from Zone B, about the 4-foot level (Archaic). At Flint River, Mound Ma 48 (Webb and DeJarnette, 1948a) two examples were recovered from Zone D (Archaic). This evidence suggests a middle-to-late, shellmound Archaic and possibly a very early Woodland association. Elora Serrated may be slightly older than Elora. A date of 5000 to 3000 years ago, or some part thereof, is suggested. Hulse suggests that Elora Serrated may be a type distinct from Elora.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Eva is a medium to large, basally notched point with an excurvate or recurvate blade.
MEASUREMENTS: The 10 plesiotypes which supplied the features (the illustrated example is included) range in measurements as follows: length—maximum, 96 mm.; minimum, 48 mm.; average, 61 mm.: shoulder width—maximum, 39 mm.; minimum, 25 mm.; average, 33 mm.: stem width—maximum, 26 mm.; minimum, 11 mm.; average, 18 mm.: stem length—maximum, 7 mm.; minimum, 5 mm.; average, 6 mm.: thickness—maximum, 10 mm.; minimum, 8 mm.; average, 9 mm.
FORM: The cross-section is biconvex. Shoulders are simple-barbed and inversely tapered. The blade is usually excurvate but may be recurvate. The distal end is acute. Basal notches range from 1 to 7 mm. deep and average 4 mm. deep. The notch width range is from 3 to 9 mm.; notch width average is 6 mm. Retouching often leaves the stem longer than the barbs. The stem is either straight or contracted. Stem side edges may be straight or excurvate. The stem base is usually straight but may be excurvate; it is usually thinned by retouching and may be lightly ground.
FLAKING: The blade and hafting area are shaped by strong, broad, shallow, random flaking. The blade face is thinned from edge to center by broad secondary flaking. Some fine retouch appears along the blade and hafting area edges. The basal notches are formed perpendicular to the base by removal of one broad flake from opposite faces on each side of the stem. Retouching often shortened the barbs; in some cases a barb was almost completely worked away. No retouch was noted in the notches.
COMMENTS: The point is named after the Eva Site in Benton County, Tennessee. The illustrated example is among the 10 measured plesiotypes from the Plevna Site, Cambron 79, in Madison County, Alabama. Lewis and Lewis (1961) describe most examples from the Eva Site as having recurvate blade edges and sometimes displaying barbs longer than the stems. Examples of the type were in association at the Eva Site with materials dated by radiocarbon method at 7200 B. P. Lewis and Lewis (1961) also describe a smaller, narrower variant found at later levels as Eva II. Four examples of the Eva type were recovered from Zone A—one each from Levels 3, 7, 9 and 11—at Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter in Colbert County, Alabama (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962). Four examples were recovered from the bottom of Stratum II (Archaic) at Flint Creek Rock Shelter (Cambron and Waters, 1961). At Little Bear Creek Site in Colbert County, Alabama (Webb and DeJarnette, 1948b), one example was recovered from the 8-foot level (below the shellmidden). Numerous surface finds in North Alabama also indicate an early Archaic association. The 7200 B. P. date at Eva Site appears acceptable.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a medium-sized point which usually displays an expanded stem and a notch flaked into each blade edge above the shoulders.
MEASUREMENTS: The illustrated example measures 60 mm. in length, 33 mm. in width, 20 mm. in stem width, 11 mm. in stem length, 11 mm. in thickness.
FORM: (The following description is taken from the illustrated example, an example from Cambron Site 14, Limestone County, Alabama, and from illustrations and description by Bell, 1958): The cross-section is biconvex. Shoulders may be horizontal, inversely tapered, or tapered. The blade is usually excurvate but may be straight; blade edges are deeply notched from the shoulders to about one-third to nearly one-half the length of the blade. The distal end may be acute or broad. The hafting area may include the notched portion of the blade as well as the stem. The stem is usually expanded but may be straight or, rarely, contracted. The side edges of the stem may be straight or incurvate and the basal edge, straight or excurvate. The excurvate stem base edge is ground on the Alabama example.
FLAKING: Broad, irregular, random flaking appears on the blade and stem. Some retouch accomplished by the removal of small, fairly deep flakes is found along the blade edges. Deep side notches are the result of removal of a broad, deep flake from the edges of opposite faces of the blade. Occasionally, limited retouch was employed to broaden the notches after the main notching flake had been struck.
COMMENTS: The point was named after examples found at Poverty Point Site in Louisiana. The illustrated example is from Holland Site 123 in Franklin Parish, Louisiana. Bell (1958) gives the distribution as the northern half of Louisiana, the adjacent portions of eastern Texas, southern Arkansas and western Mississippi. On the basis of radiocarbon dates from Poverty Point and the Jaketown Site, Ford and Webb (1956) suggest an age of around 2600 to 2800 years ago. Points of similar workmanship but with three or more notches along each blade edge are found in North Alabama and classified as Provisional Type 10, eccentric notched (Cambron and Waters, 1961; Cambron and Hulse, 1960b). These points may or may not be related to the Evans type.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a small to medium-sized point with an expanded stem, incurvate base and random flaking.
MEASUREMENTS: Eight cotypes from sites in South Calhoun County and North Talladega County, Alabama provided traits and the following measurements: length—maximum, 52 mm.; minimum, 41 mm.; average, 45 mm.: shoulder width—maximum, 31 mm.; minimum, 26 mm.; average, 28 mm.: stem width—maximum, 28 mm.; minimum, 21 mm.; average, 26 mm.: stem length—maximum, 13 mm.; minimum, 10 mm.; average, 12 mm.: thickness—maximum, 13 mm.; minimum, 8 mm.; average, 9 mm. The illustrated example measures 46 mm. long, 31 mm. wide at the shoulders, 27 mm. wide across the stem, 12 mm. in stem length, and 9 mm. thick.
FORM: The cross-section is usually flattened but may be biconvex. Shoulders are inversely tapered. The blade may be excurvate or straight. The distal end is usually acute but may be broad. The stem is expanded and the side edges may be ground. The basal edge is incurvate and thinned.
FLAKING: Because of the poor grade of material used, the shallow, random flaking which shapes the blade and stem is, in most cases, poor. Some blade edges may be finely serrated.
COMMENTS: The type was named from the Lehmann Rock Shelter in Texas by J. Charles Kelley (1947b) and was described by Suhm and Krieger who also give an estimated age of about 1000 B. C. to 500 A. D. or part thereof (Suhm, Krieger and Jelks, 1954). Suhm and Krieger list the Fairland type as characteristic of Central Texas. Occasional examples appear in collections throughout Oklahoma and elsewhere (Bell, 1960). Four of the eight measured examples are made of quartzite and four are made of a poor grade of flint The illustrated example is made of quartzite. All examples, including 39 that were broken and not measured, are from the collection of Eugene L. Grace of Anniston, Alabama. They were recovered from late Archaic and early Woodland sites.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Flint Creek is a medium to large, finely serrated, stemmed point.
MEASUREMENTS: Examples which provided the features (including the illustrated example) ranged in measurements as follows: length—maximum, 76 mm.; minimum, 39 mm.; average, 55 mm.: shoulder width—maximum, 29 mm.; minimum, 18 mm.; average, 23 mm.: stem width—maximum, 19 mm.; minimum, 13 mm.; average, 16 mm.: stem length—maximum, 15 mm.; minimum, 7 mm.; average, 11 mm.: thickness—maximum, 12 mm.; minimum, 7 mm.; average, 10 mm.
FORM: The cross-section is biconvex. Shoulders are usually inversely tapered but may be tapered or, occasionally, horizontal. The blade is excurvate and is usually finely serrated; the distal end is acute. The stem, usually formed by corner or side notching, is expanded. The side edges of the stem are usually excurvate; rarely, straight. The stem base edge is usually excurvate but may, on rare examples, be straight. It may be thinned or unfinished with rind still in evidence. Several examples were lightly ground on the stem base edge.
FLAKING: The thick blade is shaped by broad, random flaking. Deep, narrow, and often long flakes were removed from the blade edges to shape and finish the blade and to form fine regular serrations. These flakes were removed alternately from opposite faces, making the serration projections rather sharp. Broad, deep flakes, struck from the basal corners or sometimes the sides of the hafting area, shape the stem. Some of the straighter stemmed examples are reworked along the stem side edges, but usually no retouch is noted in the notches. Basal edges are often slightly thinned by broad shallow flaking.
COMMENTS: The type was named from Cambron Site 78 on Flint Creek in Morgan County, Alabama, where numerous examples were first collected. The illustrated example is one of several from the predominantly Copena site, Cambron Site 53, in Morgan County, Alabama. At the Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962), 69 examples were recovered from Zone A, Levels 1 through 8. Of these 69 examples, 40 per cent were from Levels 3 and 4, indicating a climax in the late Archaic—early Woodland times. One example each was recovered from Levels 4, 5 and 7 at University of Alabama Site Ms 201 in Marshall County, Alabama. At Flint Creek Rock Shelter (Cambron and Waters, 1961), ten examples were recovered from Stratum I (Woodland) and one from Stratum II (Archaic). The Flint Creek type was important at Flint River Mound (Webb and DeJarnette, 1948a), where most examples were found in upper Zone C (Archaic) and lower Zone B (Woodland). This is a late Archaic to early Woodland type. The type appears to be related to Dustin points illustrated by Ritchie (1961). Similar examples may be recognized among points illustrated as Palmillos by Suhm, Krieger and Jelks (1954), who give the distribution as from East Texas across the state to the Trans-Pecos area, and from the upper Brazos and Trinity valleys to the central and eastern coastal plain. The distribution extends southward in Mexico to southern Tamaulipas. The type is associated with late Archaic and early Woodland cultures. The Dustin points are from Michigan and from the Lamoka Lake Site, Schuyler County, New York.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a small to medium, narrow, lanceolate point.
MEASUREMENTS: Fifteen cotypes (including the illustrated example) from University of Alabama Site Ma 48 (Webb and DeJarnette, 1948a) range in measurements as follows: length—maximum, 58 mm.; minimum, 39 mm.; average, 50 mm.: width—maximum, 21 mm.; minimum, 12 mm.; average, 16 mm.: thickness—maximum, 11 mm.; minimum, 7 mm.; average, 9 mm.
FORM: The cross-section may be median ridged or biconvex. The blade is usually excurvate, but may be straight with an acute distal end. The base is usually rounded, but an occasional example may display a straight, unfinished basal edge. The hafting area includes the basal area from the base to the widest point of the blade, which is usually less than half way from base to distal end. The base is usually thinned.
FLAKING: The blade and hafting area were shaped by random percussion flaking. Many of the flakes are rather deep. Some retouch appears along the edges, especially along the blade edges, of about half the examples.
COMMENTS: The type was named after Flint River Mound at the mouth of Flint River in Madison County, Alabama (Webb and DeJarnette, 1948a), where the illustrated example was recovered. Of the 41 examples from this site, 24 were from upper Zone A (Woodland), 14 from lower Zone A and Zone B (Woodland) and three from upper Zone C (Archaic). Two examples were recovered from Level 3 (Woodland) at University of Alabama Site Ms 201 in Marshall County, Alabama. Six examples (excluding material from the 100-foot trench) were recovered at the Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962): two examples were recovered from Level 1, Zone A, one each from Levels 2, 3 and 6, Zone A, and one from Level 1 of Zone B. Flint River Spike and Bradley Spike appear to be of late Woodland cultural association and may be typologically related. Unlike Bradley Spike, however, Flint River Spike has no stem and may be retouched along the blade edges. A late Woodland association is suggested for Flint River Spike in North Alabama.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a small to medium, thick, triangular point that may be serrated.
MEASUREMENTS: Bell (1960) lists the length as from about 30 mm. to 50 mm. and the width as about 15 mm. or less. The illustrated example measures 32 mm. long, 14 mm. wide, and 6 mm. thick.
FORM: The cross-section is usually biconvex. The blade is usually straight but may be slightly incurvate near the distal end or, rarely, excurvate. Blade edges may be serrated. (Serrated examples are more readily identified.) The distal end may be keenly acute or acuminate. The base may be straight or excurvate. It is usually thinned and may be slightly expanded.
FLAKING: The point displays random flaking which is usually broad and fairly deep, with some fine retouch near the distal end. The serrations on the serrated examples are the result of the removal of broad regular flakes from the edge of alternate faces, leaving an irregular pattern along the blade edges. Occasionally the basal edge was retouched as well as thinned by removal of broad flakes.
COMMENTS: "The Fort Ancient points are associated with the Feurt Focus of the Fort Ancient aspect of the Ohio Valley. The Fort Ancient point has been recognized among archaeologists, both amateur and professional, in the Ohio region for a number of years." (Bell, 1960). The illustrated example is from Cambron Site 27, Limestone County, Alabama. This Woodland-Mississippian site has produced Fort Ancient, Madison, Jacks Reef Corner Notched, Knight Island, Swan Lake and Copena points. One Fort Ancient point was recovered from Level 1 at University of Alabama Site Ms 201 in Marshall County, Alabama. Bell (1960) dates the type at some time from about 1200 A. D. to 1600 A. D. Morgan (1952), in summarizing the prehistoric Indian cultures of the Ohio region, says of the Fort Ancient aspect of the Mississippian period: "Their trait assemblage is indicative of a people with a mixed cultural background, both Woodland and Mississippi elements being involved. White trade goods at one site show that some of these people were probably still in existence as late as the last quarter of the seventeenth century."
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a medium-sized, narrow, triangular point with a well thinned basal edge.
MEASUREMENTS: "In size these points range from 2 to 2¾ inches." (Bell, 1960.) Alabama examples are slightly shorter. Measurements of 4 plesiotypes, including the illustrated example, are: length—maximum, 51 mm.; minimum, 45 mm.; average, 49 mm.: width at base—maximum, 25 mm.; minimum, 21 mm.; average, 23 mm.: thickness—maximum, 8 mm.; minimum, 6 mm.; average, 7 mm. Basal depth on one incurvate base example was 1 mm.
FORM: The cross-section is flattened. The blade is excurvate. A slightly serrated appearance is found on some examples as the result of retouching along the blade edge. The distal end is acute. The hafting area includes an undetermined basal portion of the blade which is more or less parallel along the basal edges. The basal edge is usually straight but may be slightly incurvate; it is thinned and, rarely, ground.
FLAKING: Large shallow flakes, removed to shape the faces, were followed by shorter deeper flaking along all edges. The secondary flaking along the basal edge is usually broader and longer than that used along the blade and hafting area edges. Some retouching along the blade edges results in a finely serrated appearance.
COMMENTS: This point is named after the Frazier Site in Benton County, Tennessee. The illustrated example is from Cambron Site 389 in Limestone County, Alabama. No examples were recovered from control sites in the Tennessee Valley. The type is comparatively rare in Alabama and the cultural association is not known, but it usually appears in surface collections from early Archaic sites. Kneberg (1956) suggests a late Archaic association in Tennessee and a "probable time period from about 1500 B. C. to early centuries A. D." The point is similar to Paint Rock Valley points but is narrower. The base is not as incurvate and the flaking is usually better controlled.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a small to medium, expanded-barb point. Barbs are prominent and usually obtuse.
MEASUREMENTS: The measurements of eight plesiotypes (including the illustrated example) from which descriptions were drawn are: length—maximum, 47 mm.; minimum, 33 mm.; average, 40 mm.: shoulder width—maximum, 33 mm.; minimum, 26 mm.; average, 29 mm.: stem width—maximum, 13 mm.; minimum, 8 mm.; average, 11 mm.: stem length—maximum, 7 mm.; minimum, 5 mm.; average, 5 mm.: thickness—maximum, 7 mm.; minimum, 4 mm.; average, 6 mm.
FORM: The cross-section is biconvex. The shoulder barbs are usually expanded and broad; the barb ends may be obtuse or straight. The blade is usually incurvate; rarely, recurvate or straight. Most examples are finely serrated with an acute distal end. The stemmed hafting area is formed by diagonal notches. The stems of the measured examples are straight. The base may be straight or excurvate, thinned, and may be ground on some examples.
FLAKING: Remnants of blade scars may be evident on the faces. Random, secondary flaking may leave a median ridge on some examples. This flaking, along with some fine retouch produced fine serrations along the blade edges. Broad flakes were removed to form the basal notches.
COMMENTS: The type was named from examples from surface sites in the Garth Slough area in Morgan County, Alabama. The illustrated example is from Cambron Site 76 (Pine Tree) in Limestone County, Alabama. The type is found on Transitional Paleo and Early Archaic sites in North Alabama. One example was recovered from the bottom of Stratum II (Early Archaic) at Flint Creek Rock Shelter (Cambron and Waters, 1961). What appears to be a smaller variant of the type was recovered from level V at Danger Cave, Utah (Jennings, 1957) and listed as type W37. Radiocarbon dates from this level range from 6863 ±500 B. P. at the base of the level to 3893 ±240 B. P. in the topmost part of the level. One example was recovered from Cave Spring, Level 9, Stratum III, in association with Big Sandy, Cave Spring, Colbert Dalton, Decatur, Frazier, Greenbrier Dalton, Jude, Lerma Rounded Base, Paint Rock Valley, and Stanfield points. The Garth Slough point was formerly but incorrectly, classified as Catahoula.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a medium sized point with contracted stem.
MEASUREMENTS: Bell (1958) gives the size range as about 40 mm. to 80 mm. Suhm, Krieger and Jelks (1954) note that the stem length is more consistent than the length of the blade. The illustrated example measures 57 mm. in length, 26 mm. in shoulder width, 18 mm. in stem width, 14 mm in stem length and 9 mm. in thickness.
FORM: The cross-section is biconvex. Shoulders may be horizontal or tapered and are occasionally rounded or expanded barbed. The blade is usually straight to excurvate, but may be incurvate or recurvate (Suhm, Krieger and Jelks, 1954). The distal end is acute. The stem is usually contracted, with straight or excurvate side edges and a rounded to pointed basal edge.
FLAKING: The blade and hafting area are shaped by broad random flaking. The blade edges are retouched by the removal of deep short flakes. The stem may be retouched.
COMMENTS: The type was named after points found in Texas and was formerly called Gary Contracting Stem. The illustrated specimen is from Cambron Site 76 in Limestone County, Alabama. There is considerable variation within the Gary type, and further study may lead to classification into separate types (Bell, 1958, quoting Baerreis, Freeman and Wright, 1958). Several Gary points were recovered from the Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962). Most of the examples were in the upper half of Zone A, which would indicate a late Archaic to Woodland association. Flint Creek Rock Shelter (Cambron and Waters, 1961) and Flint River Mound (Webb and DeJarnette, 1948a) also produced Gary points from both Woodland and Archaic strata. Jenkins (1975) has demonstrated Gary as the dominant projectile point type for Middle Woodland in the Central Tombigbee area (Miller I and II).
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Greenbrier is a medium to large point with expanded auricles and shallow ground side notches.
MEASUREMENTS: The illustrated example measures in length, 63 mm.; in shoulder width, 25 mm.; in stem width, 25 mm.; in stem length, 12 mm.; in thickness, 6 mm.
FORM: The cross-section is usually flattened but may be biconvex. Shoulders are tapered and may be weakly barbed. The blade is usually parallel, with fine serrations, and may be beveled on each side of both faces. The distal end is acute. The hafting area displays broad side notches, created as the shoulder tapers in to the expanded stem. Notches on the illustrated example are 4 mm. deep and 14 mm. wide. Side edges of the hafting area are usually heavily ground. The base is incurvate, thinned and lightly ground.
FLAKING: Flaking used to shape the blade and hafting area is broad and thin. The short flaking which was used to bevel the blade edges and create fine serrations may occasionally appear on the shoulder edges of the hafting area. The notches were formed by the removal of one or more fairly large flakes, followed by secondary flaking. Most Alabama examples were made of Ft. Payne chert or other good material.
COMMENTS: The type was briefly described by Lewis and Kneberg (1960), who point out that several examples were illustrated from the Nuckolls Site (Lewis and Kneberg, 1958). Good examples illustrated in that paper are Figs. 24-30, 37, and 48-49. The illustrated example is from Hulse Site 53, Limestone County, Alabama. Its general appearance is somewhat similar to that of the Pine Tree point and it often appears on the same sites. At the Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962) one example was recovered from Level 11 of R-4 trench, one from Zone C, one from Level 1, Zone D, and two from Level 2, Zone D. At Flint Creek Rock Shelter (Cambron and Waters, 1961) one example was recovered from the center of Stratum II (Archaic). One example was recovered from upper Zone C (Archaic) at Flint River Mound (Webb and DeJarnette, 1948a). This evidence indicates a shellmound Archaic association at Flint River, early Archaic at Flint Creek and early Archaic to transitional Paleo-Indian at Stanfield-Worley. A suggested age is from 5000 years ago to about 9000 years ago.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a medium sized trianguloid point with parallel to excurvate basal edges.
MEASUREMENTS: Kneberg (1957) lists the range as 1.5 inches to 2.5 inches. The nine plesiotypes, including the illustrated example (Lewis and Kneberg, 1957), from Cambron Site 284 (Camp Creek Site) are: length—maximum, 40 mm.; minimum, 29 mm.; average, 33 mm.: width—maximum, 25 mm.; minimum, 18 mm.; average, 20 mm.: thickness—maximum, 9 mm.; minimum, 6 mm.; average, 8 mm.: width at base—maximum, 25 mm.; minimum, 16 mm.; average, 19 mm.
FORM: The cross-section is biconvex. The blade is excurvate or straight above the hafting area. The distal end is acute. The hafting area usually has parallel sides but may taper slightly towards the blade. Of the nine measured examples, seven have a basal concavity 1.0 mm. deep and two examples have a straight basal edge. The basal edge is usually thinned.
FLAKING: The blade and hafting area were shaped by random flaking. Most examples show some secondary flaking along the blade edges. This flaking ranges from narrow to broad, but usually fairly deep flake scars are exhibited. Points that have secondary flaking may not be flaked on all blade edges. Basal thinning appears, accomplished by broad flaking along the basal edge which is often followed by some secondary flaking. Of the nine measured examples, seven are made of black to gray local flint, one is quartzite and one chalcedony.
COMMENTS: The type was named (Lewis and Kneberg, 1957) after the Camp Creek Site (Cambron Site 284), which is near Greeneville, Tennessee. While the illustrated example is from the plough level of this site, examples were recovered from all levels. A radiocarbon date of 2050 ±250 B. P. was secured at this site. At the Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962) Level 1 produced five examples; Levels 2 and 3, two each; Levels 4, 5 and 8, one each. All were from Zone A. Four examples, one from Level 1, two from Level 2, and one from Level 5 were recovered at University of Alabama Site Ms 201, in Marshall County, Alabama. Three examples were recovered from upper Stratum I (Woodland) at Flint Creek Rock Shelter (Cambron and Waters, 1961). At Flint River Mound (Webb and DeJarnette, 1948a) 19 examples were recovered from Zones A and B (Woodland) and three from Zone C (upper Archaic). This Woodland point is scattered along the western edge of the Appalachians from Greeneville, Tennessee, to South Alabama as well as in the Tennessee River Valley and other areas.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a medium to large, lanceolate point with incurvate base.
MEASUREMENTS: Bell (1960) gives the range of the length from about 60 mm. to 135 mm. Measurements listed by Coe (1959) range as follows: length—maximum, 120 mm.; minimum, 50 mm.; average, 90 mm.: width—maximum, 35 mm.; minimum, 20 mm.; average, 30 mm. The illustrated plesiotype measures 84 mm. long, 24 mm. in width, 11 mm. wide at the base, 12 mm. thick, 1 mm. deep in basal concavity.
FORM: The cross-section is usually biconvex and thick but may approach median ridged. The blade is usually excurvate but may be nearly straight. The distal end may be acute or apiculate. The hafting area is contracted with short, rounded auricles, incurvate base and some basal thinning. Side edges of the hafting area are usually lightly ground. The hafting area may be defined by a break in the contour of the side edges or may be described as extending to somewhere near the widest part of the blade.
FLAKING: The blade and hafting area are usually shaped by well controlled, random flaking. Coe (1952) describes some flaking as being transverse-oblique. Careful secondary flaking in the form of short, often deep, flaking appears along the side edges. The basal concavity is formed by the removal of broad flakes. A variety of local materials including quartz, quartzite, porphyritic rhyolite, andesite and varieties of argillite or novaculite were used (Coe, 1959).
COMMENTS: The type was named after the Guilford focus of the Carolina Piedmont. The illustrated example is from Cambron 326, Buncombe County, North Carolina. The type was described by Bell (1960). At the Doerschuk Site Coe (1959) recovered Guilford points above Morrow Mountain and below Halifax types. He suggests a date of around 6000 years ago in the Carolina Piedmont area. He gives the distribution as widespread throughout the Piedmont of North Carolina but points out that they "do not have a distribution much north of Virginia or south of Piedmont, Georgia." Examples appear on several sites in western North Carolina. Examples were illustrated by Miller (1962) from Sites 44Mc66 and 44Mc75, Mecklenburg County, Virginia (Plate 39 W and X, Plate 40 N, Plate 44 P, T and V, Plate 45B). An early Archaic association prior to 5000 years ago is suggested. Recent evidence from Randolph County indicates that the Archaic Guilford complex may extend into the Alabama Piedmont (O'Hear and Knight, 1975).
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a medium sized lanceolate point with a rounded base.
MEASUREMENTS: Ten plesiotypes from Cambron 326 (Harwood 98), Buncombe County, North Carolina ranged in measurement as follows: length—maximum, 72 mm.; minimum, 53 mm.; average, 61 mm.: width—maximum, 28 mm.; minimum, 17 mm.; average, 23 mm.: thickness—maximum, 13 mm.; minimum, 8 mm.; average, 10 mm. The length from base to widest point of blade ranges from 21 mm. to 35 mm. and averages 28 mm. The illustrated example measures about 63 mm. long, 23 mm. wide, 14 mm. thick and 25 mm. from base to widest point of blade. Coe (1959) illustrated an example 30 mm. long.