Handbook of Alabama Archaeology: Part I Point Types Part 6

FLAKING: Faces display random flaking. Secondary flaking of short, broad nature appears, followed by fine retouch, as from pressure flaking, along the edges. The basal thinning is usually short, broad and shallow, but in rare examples it may extend approximately the length of the hafting area. Examples are usually made of local materials.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

COMMENTS: The type site is Cambron 53 in Morgan County, Alabama, where examples were found eroding out of a sh.e.l.l midden along with Copena points. The ill.u.s.trated example is from this site. Examples were first ill.u.s.trated (Webb and DeJarnette, 1942) as Copena types. At the Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962) three examples were recovered from Level 1, one example from Level 2 and two examples from Level 6 in Zone A. This is an indication of Woodland and possibly Archaic a.s.sociation. Examples appeared in Woodland strata at Flint Creek Rock Shelter (Cambron and Waters, 1961). One example was recovered from Level 3 (Woodland) at University of Alabama Site Ms 201, Rock House Shelter, in Marshall County, Alabama. At Flint River Mound (Webb and DeJarnette, 1948a) examples were recovered from both Woodland and Archaic strata. These a.s.sociations indicate that the type originated in Archaic times and continued into the Woodland period.

COTACO CREEK, =Cambron= (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962): A-24

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a medium to large, straight-stemmed point with rounded shoulders and straight blade edges.

MEASUREMENTS: Measurements of nine cotypes (including the ill.u.s.trated example) from which features were taken ranged as follows: length--maximum, 83 mm.; minimum, 47 mm.; average, 64 mm.: width at shoulders--maximum, 45 mm.; minimum, 33 mm.; average, 40 mm.: stem width--maximum, 19 mm.; minimum, 14 mm.; average, 16 mm.: stem length--maximum, 14 mm.; minimum, 6 mm.; average, 10 mm.: thickness--maximum, 10 mm.; minimum, 6 mm.; average, 7 mm.

FORM: The cross-section is usually flattened but may be rhomboid.

Shoulders may be straight or inversely tapered with weak barbs and are usually rounded. The blade is usually straight, but may be excurvate, finely serrated and, sometimes, beveled on the right side (looking toward the distal end) of one or both faces. One example is smoothed, as from use, on the edges adjacent to the distal end. The distal end is usually apiculate or obtuse; rarely acute. The stem is usually straight; rarely, expanded with straight side edges. The basal edge may be straight or excurvate. Most basal edges are thinned. About half the examples are ground on the basal edge. Occasionally, the side edges of the stem are ground.

FLAKING: This type displays well-controlled, broad, shallow, random flaking. Edge retouch consisting of the removal of fine, short, regular flakes from alternate face edges appears as fine serrations. Sometimes longer, more even flakes were removed in beveling one edge of each face.

Some examples were beveled and then serrated. Points were made from Ft.

Payne chert, Bangor nodular flint, jasper or other local materials. Some examples made of Ft. Payne chert show considerable patination.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

COMMENTS: The type was named for Cotaco Creek in Morgan County, Alabama, where many examples have been recovered. The ill.u.s.trated example is from Cambron Site 156 (Stone Pipe) in Limestone County, Alabama. At the Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962) 10 examples were recovered from Level 2, 4 from Level 3, 2 from Level 4, 2 from Level 5, 4 from Level 6, 2 from Level 7, 1 from Level 9 and 1 from Level 10. These levels--all in Zone A--are Woodland and Archaic. At the University of Alabama Site Ms 201 in Marshall County, Alabama, one example was recovered from Level 3 (Woodland). Flint Creek Rock Shelter (Cambron and Waters, 1961) produced one example from Stratum I (Woodland) and five examples from middle and upper Stratum II (Archaic).

Flint River Mound, University of Alabama Site Ma 48 (Webb and DeJarnette, 1948a) produced three examples from Zones A and B (Woodland) and 18 examples from the upper part of zones C and D (Archaic). This evidence suggests a strong late Archaic occurrence on the Tennessee River and continued use in Woodland times, especially at Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter. A variation of the type called Cotaco Creek Variant differs from Cotaco Creek in that it is usually smaller, cruder, often narrower and has an acute distal end. The blade of the variant is more apt to be excurvate.

CRAWFORD CREEK, =Cambron and Hulse= (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962): A-25

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a medium-sized, stemmed point with a blade that is usually straight. Blade edges are usually finely serrated.

MEASUREMENTS: The 13 cotypes (including the ill.u.s.trated example) from which features were obtained ranged in measurements as follows: length--maximum, 46 mm.; minimum, 27 mm.; average, 36 mm.: shoulder width--maximum, 30 mm.; minimum, 20 mm.; average, 25 mm.: stem width--maximum, 20 mm.; minimum, 13 mm.; average, 16 mm.: stem length--maximum, 9 mm.; minimum, 6 mm.; average, 8 mm.: thickness--maximum, 9 mm.; minimum, 5 mm.; average, 7 mm.

FORM: The cross-section is biconvex. Shoulders may be horizontal, slightly tapered or slightly inversely tapered. The blade is usually straight, but several examples have one excurvate edge. The blade edges of nearly all examples are finely serrated. Distal ends are usually acute. The stem is usually straight but several examples have expanded stems. Stem sides may be straight or incurvate. The basal edge of the stem, strongly thinned on most examples, is usually straight but may be excurvate; rarely, it is incurvate. At Flint Creek Rock Shelter (Cambron and Waters, 1961) expanded-stemmed examples appear to pre-date straight-stemmed examples.

FLAKING: Irregular, random flaking shapes the blade and hafting area.

Some large flake or blade scars may be evident on one or both faces.

Flakes removed to form the stem were usually fairly deep and broad while the flakes removed to thin the base were broad and shallow. Fine, often steep, retouch along the blade edges appears to have been accomplished by pressure flaking. Fine serrations were formed by the removal of small flakes, opposite each other, from each face. The point is usually made of local materials.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

COMMENTS: The type was named for Crawford Creek in Morgan County, Alabama. This creek is near the Flint Creek Rock Shelter (Cambron and Waters, 1961) where the type was first found and called Provisional Type Three, small, stemmed, serrated. The ill.u.s.trated example is from Flint Creek Rock Shelter, Cambron Site 287. The name Crawford Creek was used by Cambron and Hulse (1960b). One example (plate 13e) from the Eva Site is ill.u.s.trated by Lewis and Lewis (1961) as a unique point. One example was found among other artifacts in a.s.sociation with a Morrow Mountain burial at the Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962). Zone A (Woodland and Archaic) at the Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter also yielded two examples from Level 6, two from Level 8 and one from Level 9. At University of Alabama Site Ms 201, in Marshall County, Alabama, one example was recovered from Level 5, one from Level 7 and one from Level 10. Of the 20 examples from Flint Creek Rock Shelter, two were recovered from Stratum I (Woodland) and the other 18 from Stratum II (Archaic), particularly from the lower half. Surface finds are usually made on early Archaic sites. All of the above evidence indicates an early Archaic a.s.sociation which lasted into later Archaic.

A suggested date is sometime before 5000 B.C.

c.u.mBERLAND, =Kneberg= (Kneberg, 1956): A-26

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a medium to large, auriculate, fluted point displaying hafting constriction.

MEASUREMENTS: Thirty-one plesiotypes from 28 sites in the Tennessee River Valley (Soday and Cambron, n. d.) ranged in measurements as follows: longest example, 101 mm.; shortest; 37 mm.; average length, 69 mm.; average width, 23 mm.; average thickness, 8 mm. The ill.u.s.trated example measures 77 mm. long, 24 mm. across the blade, 19 mm. wide at base, 16 mm. wide at hafting constriction, 7 mm. thick, 2 mm. deep at basal concavity. Length of flutes measured from basal concavity: 1st flute, after flaking of striking platform for 2nd flute, 47 mm.; 2nd flute, 53 mm.

FORM: Cross-section is usually fluted or median ridged on unfluted faces. The blade is recurvate; the distal ends, acute. The auriculate hafting area is usually expanded-rounded with an incurvate basal edge.

There is no sharp break between the blade edges and the ground edges of the hafting area. The base may be multiple fluted or single fluted on one or both faces. The main flute or flutes may extend to near the distal end.

FLAKING: Collateral flaking was usually employed to shape the median ridges on the faces. The hafting constriction was sometimes partially worked out before fluting. For multiple fluting, two short primary flutes were removed down each side of the median ridge after the basal edge had been flaked to the proper degree of pitch to form a striking platform. This resulted in the formation of a striking nipple in the center of the basal edge from which the main flute was struck by indirect percussion. The basal edge was then reflaked to the desired pitch or level to facilitate repeating the fluting procedure on the other face. Flaking of the basal edge was sometimes accomplished after the second main flute had been struck. Fine retouch was occasionally carried out on all side edges. Finally, the hafting constriction was completed (Cambron and Hulse, 1961).

[Ill.u.s.tration]

COMMENTS: The type was named for the c.u.mberland River Valley in Tennessee where many examples were collected on the surface. The ill.u.s.trated example is from Holland Site 270 in Colbert County, Alabama.

Three examples of c.u.mberland points were recovered from University of Alabama Site Ms 201, in Marshall County, Alabama, in the irregular, rocky, lower part of the lower levels with Big Sandy I, Dalton and other early types. They are found with Clovis points in many surface collections. A Paleo-Indian a.s.sociation, sometime before 10,000 years ago, is suggested.

DALTON, COLBERT, =Kneberg= (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962): A-28

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a medium-sized, auriculate point with a rectangular hafting area.

MEASUREMENTS: Eleven cotypes from 11 sites in the Tennessee River Valley (Soday and Cambron, n. d.) range in measurements as follows: longest, 54 mm.; shortest, 33 mm.; average length, 45 mm.; average width, 18 mm.; average thickness, 6 mm. The ill.u.s.trated example measures 51 mm. long, 15 mm. wide across blade at junction of hafting area, 18 mm. wide at terminal end of hafting area, 19 mm. wide at base, 16 mm. wide across basal constriction, 6 mm. thick. The hafting area is 19 mm. long.

FORM: The cross-section is usually biconvex but may be somewhat rhomboid. Blade edges are usually straight but may be excurvate and may be beveled on one edge and/or serrated. The distal end is acute. The hafting area is more or less rectangular with slightly incurvate, heavily ground side and basal edges. The base is thinned.

FLAKING: The blade and hafting area are shaped by shallow, random flaking. Short, sharp, regular serrations on the blade edges are the result of the well-controlled removal, one at a time on alternate faces, of deep, short, flakes. Retouch was accomplished by the removal of broad, shallow flakes followed by very fine flaking which helped form smooth edges. Most examples are made of Ft. Payne chert but other local materials were also used.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

COMMENTS: The type was named for Colbert County, Alabama, where examples were recovered from Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962). The ill.u.s.trated example is from the Pine Tree Site, Cambron 76, Limestone County, Alabama. The type has been referred to locally as "Square Based Dalton" for some years (Soday and Cambron, n.

d.) and was ill.u.s.trated by Cambron and Hulse (1960a). In the survey of the Tennessee River Valley by Soday and Cambron only eleven examples were noted. Forty-three examples, excluding those from the 100-foot trench, were recovered from Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter. At this site, in the other trenches, examples appeared mostly from Level 7 through Level 14. In the blocks two examples were recovered from Zone B, three from Zone C and ten from Zone D. A radiocarbon date from Zone D (1960) gave an age of 9640 450 B.P. This appears to be a transitional Paleo-Indian type. Excavations in 1965 at the Tensaw Creek Site (1 Lo 9) in Lowndes County revealed Colbert Daltons and Greenbrier Daltons in a stratigraphic sequence (Chase, 1966).

DALTON, GREENBRIER, =Kneberg= (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962): A-29

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Greenbrier Dalton is a medium-sized, auriculate point with expanded auricles and well-defined hafting area.

MEASUREMENTS: One hundred fifty-three plesiotypes which may include some Nuckolls Dalton points, since the types had not been separated when the survey was made (Soday and Cambron, n. d.), from 62 sites in the Tennessee River Valley ranged from maximum length of 69 mm. to a minimum length of 28 mm. The average length was 47 mm.; the average width, 21 mm.; average thickness, 6 mm. The ill.u.s.trated example measured in length, 48 mm.; in width of blade at junction of hafting area, 18 mm.; in width at terminal end of hafting area, 19 mm.; in width at base, 21 mm.; in length of hafting area, 16 mm.; in width of basal constriction, 18 mm.; in thickness 6 mm.

FORM: The cross-section is usually biconvex but may be rhomboid. The blade is usually excurvate but may be straight. Blade edges may be beveled on one edge and/or serrated. The distal end is acute. The hafting area, usually well defined by a sharp change in the contour of the edge of the point at the junction of the blade, is auriculated with expanded-rounded, rarely expanded-pointed auricles. Side and basal edges of the hafting area are usually incurvate and ground. The basal edge is thinned, sometimes fluted.

FLAKING: The blade and hafting area are shaped by broad, shallow, random flaking. Retouch along the blade edges often resulted in serrations and/or beveling. Retouch along the hafting area edges was more limited, and usually finer, which helped to smooth the hafting area edges. Most examples are made of local materials.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

COMMENTS: The type was named for the Greenbrier area of Kentucky Lake.

The ill.u.s.trated example is from the Quad Site, Cambron 84, Limestone County, Alabama. Forty-one examples were recovered from the Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962) excluding those found in the 100-foot trench. Most of the examples came from the trenches, and were present in Levels 7 through 15. Zone C produced two examples. One example was found in each of the following levels of Zone D: 1, 2, 5, 6, 12. At University of Alabama Site Ms 201, in Marshall County, Alabama, one example was recovered from Level 10 and two from Level 11. A radiocarbon date of 9640 450 years B.P. from Zone D material at the Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter suggests a Transitional Paleo-Indian a.s.sociation, as do a.s.sociations of surface finds in Alabama with other early materials. An example was found in a.s.sociation with Quad, Wheeler, Big Sandy I and Stanfield Triangular points, a fluted midsection and uniface tools at the Quad Site (Cambron and Hulse, 1960a). A variant of the type called Nuckolls Dalton (by Kneberg, for the Nuckolls Site in Kentucky Lake, Tennessee) differs from Greenbrier Dalton in that it has either parallel-rounded or, rarely, parallel-pointed auricles. Forty-six examples of this variant were recovered from the Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter. No significant difference in distribution by levels was noted between any of the Dalton types at this site. Examples with straight hafting area sides are similar to Meserve points (Suhm, Krieger and Jelks, 1954).

DAMRON, =Cambron= (This Paper): A-83

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Damron point is a medium-sized point with shallow side notches.

MEASUREMENTS: Eleven cotypes, including the ill.u.s.trated example, provided traits and the following measurements: length--maximum, 72 mm.; minimum, 37 mm.; average, 49 mm.: shoulder width--maximum, 32 mm.; minimum, 24 mm.; average, 27 mm.: stem width--maximum, 29 mm.; minimum, 19 mm.; average, 24 mm.: stem length--maximum, 11 mm.; minimum, 7 mm.; average, 9 mm.: thickness--maximum, 10 mm.; minimum, 7 mm.; average, 8 mm.: notch width--maximum, 8 mm.; minimum, 7 mm.; average, 7 mm.: notch depth--maximum, 5 mm.; minimum, 2 mm.; average, 3 mm.

FORM: The cross-section is usually biconvex but may be flattened or, rarely, plano-convex. Shoulders are tapered. The blade may be excurvate or straight. Some examples have one excurvate and one straight blade edge. Blade edges may be finely serrated. The steepness of some blade edges gives a near-beveled appearance. The distal end is acute. The hafting area is notched with shallow, narrow, side notches situated near the basal edge. Sides of the expanded stem are incurvate. The basal edge is usually excurvate but may be straight. Rarely, it is ground; usually it is beveled on one or both faces.