by E.J. Neiburger, Waukegan, Illinois
Volume 69, Number 2, April 2022 Central States Archaeological Journal
In the 1950s, Wisconsin archaeologist Warren Wittry created a system. He organized and classified the innumerable different varieties of Old Copper implements. The Old Copper Culture spanned from the Archaic (8,000 YBP) to Historic (500 YBP) times. These products numbered in the hundreds. They were concentrated in the North American Midwest. Wittry’s career ended in a less than admirable way. However, his early work on Old Copper classification still remains a standard.
The original classification (Wisconsin Archaeologist, Volume 32:1) lists Old Copper implements into major GROUPS (I, II, III, etc.) and sub-groups (A, B-1, C, etc.), which are classified by shape. GROUP I contains projectile points; sub-group I-A. These were spear points (e.g., rat tail point) which could have been also used as knives, scrapers or awls.
During my study of the vast collections of Old Copper artifacts at the Milwaukee Public Museum, I made an interesting identification. I discovered a series of oddly shaped projectile points. These points deviate in shape to the same degree of distinction as other separate sub-groups in GROUP I. This subgroup, which I will call B-2, is an open socketed point with a rounded and broad shape. It has a leaf-shaped point similar to the B-1 configuration. The B-1 configuration has a blade length to width (L/W) ratio of 2.5 or more. The four examples of B-2 found in the collection, ranged from 6 cm in length (blade only) to 11 cm. The uniqueness of this group is in its overly broad blade which ranges from 3 cm to 6 cm. The leaf shape blades of sub-group B-2 are distinctly wider than sub-groups B-1. They are also wider than sub-group C with a length to width (L/W) ratio of 1.5 to 2.5.
The blade shape and size of sub-group B-2 is ergonomically too wide for a projectile point. It would not penetrate well. It might be useful as a crude knife but the edges of these specimens were rounded and lacked any sharpness. What they were used for is open to conjecture.
At top: Figure 1. Group of four Old Copper, broad, open-socketed points.
