Category: Select Journal Articles

A Reassessment of a Significant New England Artifact

by William Moody, West Tisbury, Massachusetts

Volume 70, Number 1, January 2023

Projectile point typology has never been an exact science, nor was it ever intended to be so. Essentially, typology has been established by archaeologists to provide basic definitions and create a classification system for the purpose of separating different types of points, including the Neville projectile point, into categories that would then assist in understanding the prehistoric cultures and time-frames in which these artifacts were manufactured. It is not uncommon for both professional and avocational archaeologists to look at the various attributes of one particular projectile point and arrive at different conclusions about which typological category it should be placed in. It is truly amazing, and more than coincidental, that so many point styles often transcended many centuries without any drawings or written instructions to guide their manufacture. We have yet to understand fully how this technology was passed down from generation to generation and over such large geographic areas. Yet we use the final lithic products of their indigenous makers to suggest that this guidance did indeed take place. A reassessment os a Significant …

Figure 1. Atlantic knives from Massachusetts. Note robust straight-sided stems. Point at left is 3 ½” long (personally found). Collection of the author.
Figure 1. Atlantic knives from Massachusetts. Note robust straight-sided stems. Point at left is 3 ½” long (personally found).
Collection of the author.

The following information, based on current published typologies, biface morphology and careful observations, is provided in an effort to shed new light on a significant New England artifact in regards to its possible typology. Some three decades ago, the author recovered a large and very thin, stemmed biface in a farm field in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. This was, in fact, the largest intact blade the author had ever discovered.

The small section of the field where the discovery was made was situated on level ground bordering a major brook and just below a fairly high glacial esker that had been mined for gravel in earlier years. Evidence of the mining operation was apparent by the large amounts of loose gravel dispersed in the top few inches of this adjoining field. The large blade was recovered almost at the very base of the esker. It was sticking straight down into the soil with only about 1/4 of an inch of its stem corner visible above the surface, and it seems highly possible that the blade may have been pulled down from the top of the hill during the gravel removal.

Three Neville projectile points from New England, including a large stemmed Neville biface flanked by two smaller stone points.
Figure 2. The large 5 1/16” long Bridgewater biface (center) with two smaller Neville points found at same site. Note the tapered stems. All three points exhibit unifacial thinning at base of stem on reverse (personally found).
Collection of the author.

The discovery of this biface was reported in some detail in Indian Artifact Magazine (2000), and was later also pictured in Prehistoric American (2021), as well as being featured in an article for this very Journal (2022). The 5 1/16” blade was described in all three of these publications as an Atlantic implement blade, although its extreme thinness and expert craftsmanship could well argue against its use as a strictly utilitarian tool. This large knife surely would have been a prized possession of its original owner and may have even served in a ceremonial function. It was surmised that the finely crafted, pristine blade could possibly have been buried at some depth at the top of the esker and somehow, almost miraculously, managed to find its way to the bottom of the hill unbroken.

One of the final, and perhaps most important, observations that Trotta put forward, after discussing the many recoveries that he and the author both had made over the years at the Bridgewater site, was that not a single other Atlantic blade had ever been found on that site by either of them. Instead, they had in their joint collections upwards of 20 Neville points and also knew of a number of other such artifacts recovered by another collector at this site. Over a period of several decades, the author and Trotta have surface collected at a number of locations in southeastern New England. This particular Bridgewater site not only yielded a substantial number of the characteristic Neville points but also many other stone tools associated with this same Early Archaic culture. Other sites that they have had experience with over the years which included clear examples of Atlantic points revealed a different suite of tool forms that can be distinguished from the typical Neville tool kit. All this lends further credence to the identification of the large Bridgewater biface as a possible Neville artifact rather than an Atlantic implement blade. A reassessment os a Significant …

So, again, the main component at the Bridgewater site is clearly Early Archaic period, while Atlantic points are certainly Late Archaic bifaces. Corrected to actual calendar years, Atlantic blades can be temporally placed going back to around 4500 years BP and Neville points to approximately 9500 years BP. If this new assessment for the Bridgewater artifact is indeed correct, that would make a difference of some 5,000 years between its actual use by early native peoples and its modern day discovery. It would also place this artifact in the class of being one of the largest intact Neville knives yet to be recovered in New England. A reassessment os a Significant …

Point typology has long been a subject that can readily be open to debate, especially when considering one individual artifact. Yet, having previously published an article in this Journal, as well as other publications which included the earlier assumption about the named type of the Bridgewater biface, the author felt it was important now to offer this new assessment for a possible reconsideration and reclassification. A reassessment os a Significant …

References

Boudreau, Jeff
2016 A New England Typology of Native American Projectile Points. Alpha Graphics. MA.

Dincauze, Dena
1972 “The Atlantic Phase: A Late Archaic Culture in Massachusetts.” Man in the Northeast, Vol. 4:40–61.
1976 The Neville Site: 8,000 years at Amoskeag. Peabody Museum Monographs. Cambridge, MA.

Moody, William
2000 “Four Hours in the Field—Nothing, and Then….” Indian Artifact Magazine, April–June, Vol. 10:2, p. 29.
2021 Prehistoric American, Vol. LV:1, p. 27.
2022 “The Atlantic Broad Point Tradition.” Central States Archaeological Journal 69 (2): 88–90. A reassessment os a Significant …

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Evidence for an Unnamed Point Type in Northern Mississippi

Malcolm T. McLaughlin Aurora Colorado

Central States Archaeological Journal April 2012

triangular Mississippian projectile points from northern Mississippi showing consistent unnamed point type
A group of triangular projectile points recovered from northern Mississippi, displaying consistent morphology that may represent an unnamed Late Prehistoric point type.

This article presents a group of triangular projectile points recovered from northern Mississippi that appear to represent a consistent, but currently unnamed, type. These points share a number of defining characteristics that separate them from more commonly recognized Late Prehistoric forms in the Southeast.

The specimens are small to medium in size and display a triangular blade form with straight to slightly excurvate edges. Bases are generally straight to slightly concave, with careful thinning and occasional smoothing. The workmanship suggests intentional design rather than variation within an existing type.

Material selection varies, but most examples are made from locally available cherts common to the Yazoo Basin and surrounding regions. Flaking is typically fine and controlled, indicating skilled craftsmanship. While some variation exists in size and proportions, the overall morphology remains consistent across multiple finds.

These points have been recovered in contexts associated with Late Prehistoric occupations, suggesting a temporal placement within the Mississippian period. However, their exact cultural affiliation remains uncertain. They do not cleanly fit into established typologies such as Madison or other well-documented triangular forms.

The repeated occurrence of these points within a defined geographic region raises the possibility of a localized or specialized form. Whether this represents a cultural variation, a functional adaptation, or a distinct type yet to be formally recognized remains open for further study.

As with many aspects of artifact classification, continued documentation and comparison will be critical. Additional finds, especially those with clear context, may help clarify whether this form warrants formal designation as a new point type.

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From Zero to Six

Central States Archaeological Journal January 2012
by John Ray Troy, Missouri

Cahokia serrated triple notched point in situ and later in hand April 1 2010 Missouri
The Cahokia serrated triple-notched in situ on April 1, 2010.

I have been hunting Indian artifacts for over 25 years in Lincoln County Missouri. I had always heard that there was a Cahokia population here, but never had any proof of my own until last year.

I started off early in 2010 hunting a new site. One of my first finds was a small tri-notch point with the tip damaged. I just thought it to be a fluke, no big deal. As I continued to hunt the site that year, I was finding a lot of Woodland points that were in near perfect shape.

On April 1st 2010 I went out to the site, and found a broken serrated Cahokia base. Then I walked about 10 feet and surprisingly found another serrated Cahokia. As I looked down at it, I saw all the signs of it being broken too. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be in perfect shape and super fine. I had truly found a rare G10 point!

Cahokia triplenotched projectile point found in situ April 8 2010 Lincoln County Missouri
On my hunt of April 8, 2010, I discovered a Cahokia Triplenotched. It is shown here in-situ.

I hunted the site throughout the entire year and ended up finding six Cahokia points. There were two double-notched, two different types of five-notched, one triplenotched, and a serrated triple-notched. Along with these, I found many un-notched Madison points. I think that these points are right in line with some that were found in Mound 72, at Cahokia mounds.

six Cahokia projectile points including serrated and five notched types Lincoln County Missouri
Pictured together are the six Cahokia Points found on the same site in Lincoln County, Missouri. The serrated triple-notched point is 1 ½ inches long x 5/8 of an inch wide at the base. It was found in March of 2010. The five-notched is 1 ¼ inches long and 5/8 of an inch wide. All of these points were found at a single site in East Central Missouri, about 90 miles from Cahokia Mounds.

Twenty five years of hunting and I went from zero to six! It just goes to show what can be found some 90 miles away from the mounds and further.

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Eastern Colorado: The Garden of Eden(s)

Figure 1. The 3.75-inch long Eden found by Shane Skulvik in Logan County, Colorado. It is made of Flattop Chalcedony.

by Tom Westfall, Sterling, Colorado

Central States Archaeological Journal January 2011

The Eden point is Paleoindian in origin and dates to around 9500–7600 BP. The type site is the Finley site, located in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. Other Eden sites have been discovered on the High Plains, but they are few and far between.

Eden points are considered some of the most beautiful and highly valued projectile points on the High Plains. In their unresharpened form, they are usually long and quite narrow, often made from the finest lithic materials available. These points exhibit very fine flaking to a medial ridge and have a diamond-shaped cross section.

This past year has witnessed the recovery of several nice Eden points. The first point (Figure 1) is a 3.75-inch-long Eden made of Flattop Chalcedony. This point was found by Shane Skulvik in Logan County, Colorado. There is a bit more “base” on this particular point, and several have suggested that it may be a particularly well-made Scottsbluff point similar to several found at the Finley site where both Scottsbluff and Eden points were discovered together.

Figure 2. The 2.25-inch long Eden found by Grayson Westfall in Logan County, Colorado. It is made from Knife River Flint.

My son, Grayson, found a Knife River Flint Eden point (Figure 2) in Logan County, Colorado. Knife River Flint, a lithic fairly scarce in Colorado, seems to have been favored by the aboriginal peoples for making these points. This example shows a lot of reworking and is 2.25 inches in length in its present condition. This point was found on a gravel bar on our farm along with a Scottsbluff point, two Alberta points, and a Cody ultra-thin knife.

Figure 3. The 4.25-inch long Eden found by Steve Juranek in Sedgwick County, Colorado. It is made from Knife River Flint.

Another Knife River Flint Eden point (Figure 3) was found in July 2010 by Steve Juranek in Sedgwick County, Colorado. It is 4.25 inches in length.

Generally speaking, the base/stem of an Eden point has been “ground in” and may be barely discernible. There is some speculation that very narrow Eden points have been reworked from wider points, though Job Taylor disputes this assumption. Based on his observations and examinations, Eden points appear to have only been resharpened on their tips.

Having examined a fair number of Eden points myself, I would agree with Taylor’s assertion. Furthermore, I believe that the diamond-shaped cross section made for a sturdy point that did not experience significant breakage when impacting bone or other hard substances. Most impact fractures on Eden points which I have seen have allowed for relatively easy “re-tipping.” In some cases, the tips were broken, but by removing just a few small flakes on either side of the fracture, the knapper created a serviceable point again.

Figure 4. A grouping of Eden points in the author’s collection. Materials include Niobrara Jasper (far left and far right), agatized wood, Knife River Flint, and agatized wood. The large point at the bottom is made of translucent agatized wood. The largest point is 3.5 inches long, and the smallest is 1.75 inches. Some examples (left side) may be described as “Eden-flaked” Scottsbluff points.

It is my suspicion that Scottsbluff, Alberta, Eden, and Firstview points were used somewhat interchangeably by ancient peoples. Differences may reflect personal preference, or further research may lead to a clearer understanding of how each style was most effectively used.

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After Twenty-five Years I Finally Found a Cache

by Gene Edwards Berlin Heights, Ohio
Central States Archaeological Societies
January 2008 Journal


Over the last twenty-five years I have made at least fifty trips to Missouri, Arkansas and Texas to go artifact hunting with my friends. Each trip was marked with some exciting find or interesting event. I’ve made many friends throughout the years, and the memories of each and every hunt are priceless. On one trip, I was lucky enough to go out with Greg Perino.

I spent hours asking him question upon question. One time he pointed out to me, “Boy, if you can’t read the soil, you never will be an archaeologist.” He had a knack for reading the soil that I never mastered. But, on one such trip, while hunting in Northeast Texas with “Sonnie” Roy Hutchinson and Ken Cullipper, I was lucky enough to find my one and only cache of points; fifteen wonderful Maud points. These are Caddoan points from the Fulton Period, 1450 to 1700 A.D.

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A Drilled Greenstone Southern Spatulate

by Bob Reeves Knoxville, Tennessee
Central States Archaeological Societies, October 2010 Journal
drilled greenstone southern spatulate artifact from Jefferson County Tennessee showing front side profile and reverse views with central drilled hole, Mississippian SECC ceremonial object
Drilled greenstone Southern spatulate found along the French Broad River in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Shown in front, reverse, and profile views, the artifact features a tapered drilled hole and refined shaping typical of rare Mississippian ceremonial pieces associated with the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex.

Way back in November of 1966, I was surface hunting along the banks of the French Broad River in Jefferson County, Tennessee when I found what I then called a ceremonial celt. It was a tremendous find, the best artifact I had ever found at the time, and still is one of my best. It is made of greenstone and is 7” long, 3 1/2” at the widest point, 1 1/8” wide across the slightly rounded poll end, and 5/8” thick. It has an 11/16” diameter hole which tapers to 5/16” where it penetrates, and is 2 7/16” across the face at the center of the hole, and the top of the hole is 3” down from the top of the poll. It is complete and with only one very small modern ding on the poll, but the prehistoric craftsman did not quite finish polishing out all the peck marks, a few of which still remain. Regardless, this is truly a rare artifact and the slight imperfections are easily overlooked.

It was not until many years later that I learned that it is one of a group of artifacts referred to as a Drilled Greenstone Southern Spatulate and is thought to be associated with the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (SECC, also known as the Southern Cult) dating from 1200 AD on into the early contact phase of the late Mississippian period in the southeastern United States. This particular artifact is impressive for two reasons. The first is that this type artifact is rare under any circumstances, and the second is that the area from which it was found has never produced many Mississippian artifacts.

I found this in a pile of dirt next to a hole that had been dug to make a duck blind. I did look around for more artifacts, but found none. Since this is not the normal Archaic or Woodland artifact found in this area, I should have dug around some to see if it had come from a later Mississippian burial or other feature, but did not realize what I had at the time. Near where this spatulate was found, about two hundred yards from the river’s edge, a mound once stood. The bottom land around the mound had been cultivated for about one hundred years and the mound had been slowly reduced to just a low rise above the surrounding level flood plain. Then in the mid 1940’s, the Tennessee Valley Authority built the Douglas Dam and flooded the site. During low levels of the lake back in the fifties and on until the late sixties, the mound could still be seen as the highest point in the silted flood plain, maybe eighteen inches higher than the surrounding area, but by the early seventies, all vestiges of it was gone and was soon forgotten. Few people today are even aware that it once existed.

During my research of this type artifact, I happened to come across an old archaeological site survey which sheds some light on my find. In February of 1972, Dr. Major C. R. McCollough, research assistant professor for the Department of Anthropology at the University of Tennessee, conducted an archaeological survey of the area for the Tennessee Valley Authority who had proposed building a steam plant on the higher elevations above the site where the mound stood. Dr. McCollough noted mainly Woodland sites in the adjacent area of the proposed steam plant site, but there was one brief mention of some Mississippian cultural material. In his report he wrote “A ‘substructure’ (presumably Mississippian) mound (site 17Je9) and a stray find of a raptorial bird pendant were reported in the downstream end of the site.” He also mentioned “Cherokee types [of pottery shards] from the lower end of the site from an earlier site survey found by local collectors.”

That may explain this artifact being where I found it, but even with this explanation, I am left with several questions. I have talked to several local collectors who have hunted this area for years and few of them have any Mississippian artifacts other than a few pottery shards and a handful of small triangular points that might even be late Woodland types. Could that mound have actually been a Woodland structure and was misidentified? Why so few Mississippian culture artifacts from this area if the mound was indeed of Mississippian origin? Is it possible that the few artifacts that have been found were all left behind by one group of Mississippian Indians passing through the area? Possibly all of the artifacts were from one grave or cache that had been plowed out and scattered during the many years of cultivation prior to the lake being formed.

I’ll never know the answer to these questions, but the mysteries surrounding such finds is so intriguing that it will keep me hunting and collecting Indian artifacts as long as I am able to walk the fields and riverbanks.

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Found a Long Time Ago

by Mike Wayland San Jose, Illinois
Central States Archaeological Journal July 2010
quadriconcave gorget banded slate adena artifact drilled both sides prehistoric gorget
Figure 1: The Quadriconcave Gorget of banded slate. It is drilled from both sides and measures 3 3/16 inches long by 2 1/8 inches wide.

We all have a collecting story. I’d like to share several of mine.

I have collected artifacts since grade school. As of this writing, that was more than seventy years ago. It all started on a nighttime fishing outing with my father. We went fishing for catfish on the East Fork of the Lamoine River. We would fish a bend in the river and were always lucky. I carried a miner’s carbide lamp to light the way as we returned home around 10 PM. As we were walking, I spotted a small white object in the dark soil and picked it up – my first arrowhead!

The point was in a washout. The next morning I returned to the same spot and searched for more. In all, I found 16 notched bird points. I was hooked. I later took them all to school, only to have them stolen. But that didn’t stop me and throughout my life I have searched, collected, traded and acquired all sorts of artifacts. Many of these were from my friends and neighbors.

bi concave gorget banded slate adena artifact drilled one side prehistoric gorget trapezoidal slate pendant two tone adena artifact drilled stone pendant prehistoric
Figure 2: The Trapezoidal Pendant of slate showing two shades of color. It is 3¾ inches in length and 1 ¾ inches wide.
Figure 3: The Bi-concave gorget of banded slate with the holes drilled from one side. It is 3 7/8 inches long and 2 ¾ inches wide. It’s holes are almost one inch apart.

As a younger man I loved to play baseball. It was always hot and humid in Illinois during the summer, especially where I lived in the town of Sheldon Grove. So I went to the local corner store to buy a coke. They were only a nickel then. I noticed while paying that in the cabinet at the register was a neat black stone artifact. It had thirty-five cents written on it. I had to have it right there and then. Ilearned later that it was a small adz. In 1978, I was walking the Zeke Schmidt farm. Looking down I noticed a dark form in the dirt. Bending over, I picked up an undamaged adz, and a fine one at that! Then ten years later, on the Crabtree Farm in the same county I found another fine adz, a large one made of a speckled granite.

In 1979 Douglas Wayland and Fred Aveny were hunting fields in McDonough County, Illinois. As the two of them walked across a field, Douglas picked up a fine Quadriconcave gorget. This Adena period artifact was made from a beautiful banded slate with a lighter colored area that meanders like a river on the bottom. This area is sided by a translucent brown colored material. Fred coaxed the gorget from Douglas, and I acquired it from him shortly after.

One day, Frey Aveny invited Marion Dixon,whose brother Don Dixon was the owner of Dickson Mounds, to come hunt the same site where earlier the Quadriconcave gorget had been found. It had been nearly a year since they found the gorget. Shortly after entering the field, Marion found a beautiful Bi-concave gorget. I begged him over and over to let me have it, and he finally relented. I now had two artifacts from the same site!

Ed Black farmed the land adjacent to the Mc-Donough Site, near present day Tennessee, Illinois. His neighbors often talked about his encounter with a timber rattlesnake in his farmhouse yard. One lucky day in 1980 he found a very fine and undamaged Trapezoidal Pendant. Since my father and Ed were High School friends, he allowed me to have it soon after he found it.

prehistoric stone adzes illinois tazewell county schuyler county ground stone woodworking tools
Bottom Image Group (Adzes) Upper Left: Adz from the Walt Crabtree Farm, Tazewell County, Illinois. Found in 1988. Reverse round, obverse flat, slightly longer than 6 ½ inches. Upper Right: Similar adz from Zeke Schmidt farm, Tazewell County, Illinois. Found in 1978. Reverse side round, obverse flat. 4 ¼ inches long. Lower Right: Adz from Sheldon Grove, Illinois, Schuyler County, Illinois. Acquired 1951. 3 5/8 inches long, by 2 ¼ inches wide. Reverse side round, obverse side slightly cupped. Photo Credit: Mike Karr

Every time I look at an artifact in my collection, the memory of how I acquired it comes to mind. I’m sure that’s true of every collector.

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Acquiring a Masterpiece

by Mike Sutton, Harrisburg, Illinois

Central States Archaeological Societies 2010 April Journal

Johnson County Illinois Ramey knife made of heat-treated Mill Creek chert prehistoric lithic blade
Johnson County Illinois Ramey knife made of heat-treated Mill Creek chert prehistoric lithic blade

When moons and planets synchronize into alignment, karma can peer over a collector’s shoulder and smile. Something extraordinary may be seeking a long tenure in his cabinet.

Premium artifacts with solid documentation are quite elusive.and opportunities to acquire can be rare. If a serious collector gets the chance to secure a genuine, recently discovered, top shelf piece for his collection, he should make the deal and record every bit of information on the artifact he can possibly obtain. It’s an important and critical imperative for all interested in preserving the past.

An unlikely person instilled this belief in me. A local rock hunter had made the “find of a life-time” when he discovered an exquisite Ramey knife just east of the small village of Cypress, in southern Illinois. He was a tenacious surface hunter, but bass fishing was his first love. He decided he needed anew bass boat, so he decided to part with the blade. I considered the piece to be an important example of southern Illinois lithic art, and desperately wanted it. But it was the mid 1980’s, the country was just coming out of a recession, and the blade was beyond reach for me, or so I thought.

Indeed, I was now the proud new caretaker of the flawless Johnson County Ramey knife, appropriately wrought from heat-treated Mill Creek chert. I frequently pulled the rock from its place of safe keeping, and meticulously examined it, to assure myself that I actually owned the thing. Yes, itwasn’t just a fantastic dream, I had really acquired the blade, and oh, what a fine and perfect specimen it was. A mother knew precisely what a son’s novice collection needed.

large prehistoric hornstone blade Crittenden County Kentucky bi-pointed flint blade with banding
Massive hornstone blade from Crittenden County, Kentucky, noted for its striking banding and exceptional craftsmanship.

Several months passed, and one Sunday in August in the late 1980’s, I attended the summer rockshow at the Executive Inn in Owensboro,Kentucky. As I entered, remarkable thing was happening. A noticeably excited, but small band of people were working their way around the room; stopping tochat, gaining and losing members as it meandered around the expansive room’s perimeter. Eventually, as I continued to visit with fellow collectors and displayers, I made my way closer and closer to the group to see what was causing all the fuss.

Three collectors from Crittenden Co., Ky., were commanding all the attention. As I came to within a few feet of the commotion, I noticed that the leader of the clan was pulling something from an old, wrinkled, paper sack to the thrill and elation of everyone that huddled around. As my curiosity morphed into anxiety, I continued to chat with a friend, while paying close attention from the corner of one eye. In and out, the mysterious article would flash to the sounds of approval as the group leader would permit brief glances to those who wanted a peek.

Then at long last, as the men ever so slowly approached, I made eye contact with the one who held the tattered bag. With an inquisitive glance, I raised my eyebrows as if to ask? “Can I see?” Without hesitation he pulled his treasure just half way from the bag as if it might escape when fully exposed.

For the next few seconds, I peered at one of the most striking examples of lithic art I had ever seen. Protruding from the old sack was a drop dead, killerof a hornstone blade that was so superb, it literally took my breath. Although the paper bag concealed its lower half, the piece looked to be a foot long. Its dark blue-gray flint and bi-pointed profile was not unlike the Benton blades from northern Mississippi that have been found in caches and associated with turkeytails. Its most, notable feature was the elongated, concentric banding that rippled through the blade’s matrix and curved across its face. The sheer beauty of the material, coupled with the excitement of the moment, seared the experience into my mind. As the years pass, I will have the luxury of revisiting the memory again and again, as it was a thrilling moment in time I will not soon forget.

Even today, thinking back to that very afternoon, the image of the blade and the wrinkly bag is still vivid in my head. The contrasting images are paradoxical, indeed! I was struck by the profound in-fluence material can play in the perception and the reality of aesthetics. I found it hard to comprehend that the blade in the sack had been crafted from the beautifully exquisite material. The nodule it was made from must have been enormous and quite valuable.

That day at Owensboro, those sharing the blade had an impressive story to tell. The men had uncovered their extraordinary find the day before that very Sunday. Swollen with pride, they were compelled to show it off to anyone who would share their excitement, and Owensboro was the perfect venue to exhibit the trophy.

According to the blade’s owner, it had been uncovered in the deep back woods of Crittenden County Kentucky, somewhere between Marion and Tolu and in close proximity to the Ohio River. Without a doubt, it was a huge piece of finely worked flint.The excitement they must have felt, as the rock was uncovered is an emotion all artifact hunters relish, but few experience. A pristine blade that had lain undisturbed for thousands of years. It would become an object of adoration for all who experienced it.

close up prehistoric flint blade banding hornstone concentric patterns lithic detail
Close-up showing the elongated, concentric banding that defines the blade’s visual impact.

A couple of years later, I learned that Chalmer Lynch, the old time collector/dealer of Evansville, Indiana fame, had purchased the remarkable find shortly after my encounter at the Kentucky. Show. In 1990, Chalmer was fast approaching one hundred years of age, and one by one, the old gentleman was selling off the cream of his personal collection. The instant I learned that the blade was for sale, I contacted the Mr. Lynch to tell him I was interested, but was informed that I may have called too late. Another collector had tried to acquire the piece, but didn’t have quite enough cash to close the deal. Chalmer wouldn’t take the guy’s shotgun to make up the difference. I was told that the guy had two weeks to come up with the money, and if he didn’t, the blade was mine.

He didn’t and fourteen days later this lithic masterpiece was crossing the Wabash to its new home in Illinois.

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The Stanfield Knife: A Large Paleo Blade

Large Stanfield knife blade made of light-colored chert showing fine flaking and elongated triangular form against black background
A finely made Stanfield knife form displaying an elongated blade, broad base, and well-executed flaking—an excellent example of early prehistoric stone tool craftsmanship.

by Col. John F. Berner Roswell, Georgia

Central States Archaeological Journal January 2010

The Stanfield knife is a medium to large knife with slightly convex sides and a straight to convex base.The basal end may contract slightly and often the corners are rounded. Some resharpened specimens have beveled edges which stops short of the hafting area. A slight polish is normally existent on the base. This type may range from 4 inches to over 10 inches in length prior to resharpening. The Stanfield is generally manufactured from tabular flint such as high grade Burlington chert and Ft.Payne chert and in one particular instance, an 8 1/2″ Rhyolite specimen was found at Findley Lake, Chatauqua County, New York.

The distribution of Stanfields is from Florida northward and east of the Rocky Mountains. The majority of these knives features collateral flaking on both faces. Stanfields are predicted to be Late Paleo butchering tools and are often mistaken for the large Cobbs Triangular. Cobbs knives are percussion flaked with large removed flakes across the face of the tool with steep beveled blade edges on opposite sides of the artifact.

Stanfield knives feature smaller percussion removed flakes in the resharpening process. This point was named by James W. Cambron for examples discovered at the Stanfield-Worley rock shelter in Northern Alabama (Cambron & Hulse 1964:105).

The Stanfield paleo knife above is 7 ¾ inches long, made of glossy white Burlington chert and was found Calhoun County, Illinois. It was formerly in the Heye Foundation collection at New York, after which it was owned by R.Doy, Merton Henderschott and Bobby Sharp.

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Manuports

by Bob Reeves, Dandridge, Tennessee

Volume 60, Number 1, January 2013

I’ll be willing to bet that most of you have never heard of this word or have a clue what it means, manuport. From Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia we find that: In archaeology and anthropology, a manuport is a natural object which has been moved from its original context by human agency but otherwise remains unmodified. The word derives from the Latin words manus, meaning “hand,” and portare, meaning “to carry.” Examples include seashells found inland or water-rolled pebbles away from any river.

On most sites that we hunt for Indian relics, there are probably many stones brought in by the Indians and used for some purpose that did not require them to be modified in any way. Heavy stones to hold down a shelter’s sides, stones to line a cooking pit, stones for hammering, and so on. The problem with manuports is that they cannot be differentiated from any other naturally occurring stones in the area. Occasionally a stone of an unusual material, or one not common to the area you are hunting, may be encountered and these could possibly be manuports. Yet there are certain unmodified stones that can be identified as manuports due to their arrangement and association with other artifacts. Here in the east, slabs for stone box graves would be one, and I have read that years ago in the western states, circles of stones could still be found on camp sites indicating where tepees had been erected. We also find clusters of fire-broken rock indicating fire pits, which are stones that have been modified from their original shape after being brought to the site, but not intentionally by man, even though he made the fire that caused them to break.

Quartz crystals from East Tennessee archaeological sites, clear and smoky crystals likely used as manuports and transported by Native Americans

There are other items that I have found on sites that I am quite sure are true manuports. Over the years of hunting relics, I have found several dozen quartz crystals on Indian sites far from any area where these crystals naturally occur. I am certain that the Indians discovered them while out and about, and intentionally brought them back to the camp because they thought they were special or just pretty. I have also found unworked lumps of hematite on sites where this material does not naturally occur. On almost every site where I have found these unworked lumps, I have found others that have been ground on one or more sides to make red ocher.

Worked hematite lumps from East Tennessee sites, red ochre material showing grinding wear and probable use as manuports by Native Americans

One last type of manuport that I have found on sites is nodules of flint, usually Knox flint. These were picked up in the gravel beds in nearby streams and brought back to be knapped into projectile points and tools at a later time.

Up along the Tennessee–Kentucky border there are places where fossil crinoid stems can be found. These are usually in masses embedded in rock and look like a fossilized pizza, but by searching around these outcrops, individual sections that look a lot like stone beads can be found. I have found these small round bead-looking fossils on Indian sites miles from these outcrops and suspect that the Indians may have utilized them as beads or other adornment articles.

So the next time you are out at one of your favorite sites and not finding much, look around at all the stones lying about. Try to picture which ones may have been carried there by some ancient Indian to be utilized just as they are. You might be surprised at all the manuports you never noticed before!

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