Handbook of Alabama Archaeology: Part I, Point Types

by James W. Cambron; David C. Hulse

BENTON STEMMED, Kneberg (Kneberg, 1956): A-9

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a medium to large, stemmed point with steeply beveled stem edges.

MEASUREMENTS: The measurements of five cotypes from which measurements and traits were taken are: length—maximum, 97 mm.; minimum, 45 mm.; average, 65 mm.: shoulder width—maximum, 30 mm.; minimum, 25 mm.; average, 29 mm.: stem width—maximum, 20 mm.; minimum, 16 mm.; average, 17 mm.: stem length—maximum, 11 mm.; minimum, 8 mm.; average, 9 mm.: thickness—maximum, 9 mm.; minimum, 5 mm.; average, 7 mm. Measurements of the illustrated example are: length, 53 mm.; shoulder width, 28 mm.; stem width, 19 mm.; stem length, 9 mm.; thickness, 8 mm.

FORM: The cross-section is biconvex to flattened. The shoulders are narrow and, rarely, barbed. They may be horizontal or slightly tapered. The blade is usually recurvate, but may be excurvate with an acute distal end. The stem is relatively broad and short with straight, beveled side edges. It may be tapered or expanded. The steeply beveled basal edge may be straight or incurvate.

FLAKING: The random, primary flaking used to shape the face of the blade and stem is broad and shallow. Some areas seem to be only slightly modified and exhibit some blade scars. The retouching along the blade edges is broad and shallow. Short, broad flakes are used to shape the stem and bevel the stem edges. These appear to be the result of indirect percussion.

COMMENTS: The type was named for Benton County, Tennessee. The illustrated example is from Hulse Site 17, Limestone County, Alabama. The type is found in the Tennessee River Valley and in western Tennessee along the Mississippi River (Bell, 1960). At the Eva Site, in Benton County, Tennessee, the cultural association is with the early Big Sandy component (Lewis and Lewis, 1961). Practically all the types recovered from Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter were from Zone A, where the first ten levels contained examples. The more frequent occurrence of the type in Levels 4 through 9, Zone A, is an indication of Archaic association (DeJarnette, Kurjack, Cambron, 1962). At Rock House Shelter, University of Alabama Site Ms 201, in Marshall County, Levels 5, 7, 8 and 11 produced one point each. This indicates an early Archaic association at this site. At Flint Creek Rock Shelter (Cambron and Waters, 1961), all examples were in middle- and upper-stratum II (Archaic). At Little Bear Creek, Ct 8 (Webb and DeJarnette, 1948b), examples were recovered from the two-foot level through the eight-foot level, most examples being from the lower three levels. The type appeared in Zones A, B, C and D at Flint River, Mound Ma 48 (Webb and DeJarnette, 1948a); it was most frequent in Zone C. A strict Archaic association dating from about 4000 B.C. to 2000 B.C. is suggested.

BIG SANDY, Lewis and Kneberg A-10
(Cambron and Hulse, 1960a): A-11

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a small to medium, side-notched point. The basal edges and/or notches are usually ground. The blade edges may be serrated and/or beveled.

MEASUREMENTS: The range of measurements of 14 examples from an excavation on the Quad Site (Cambron and Hulse, 1960a) are: length, 35-56 mm.; width, 18-20 mm.; thickness, 6-8 mm. Measurements of the illustrated example are: length, 41 mm.; shoulder width, 20 mm.; width at base, 21 mm.; notch depth, 4 mm.; notch width, 6mm.; thickness, 6mm. Later unground examples from the Big Sandy Site in Henry County, Tennessee, range in length from 44 mm. to 89 mm. and average near 64 mm. (Bell, 1960).

FLAKING: The flaking is variable, but usually is good. Random flaking is usually employed to shape the faces of the blade and hafting area; retouch is evident along the edges. The side notches appear to have been made by broad percussion flaking. Rare examples show oblique flaking (Kneberg, 1956).

FORM: The cross-section is usually biconvex but may be rhomboid, plano-convex, or median ridged. The blade may be excurvate or straight. Of the 22 whole and broken examples recovered, 62% are beveled on one side of each blade face and 8% are serrated. The distal end is acute. The hafting area is side-notched. The notches average about 5 mm. deep and 7 mm. wide, and are nearly always ground. Of the 22 measured examples, 43% have incurvate bases, 32% have slightly excurvate bases, and 25% have straight bases. The bases are usually thinned, and 50% of the 22 examples have ground bases. The part of the hafting area between the notches and the base may be straight or auriculated. Rarely, the basal edge is parallel pointed.

COMMENTS: The point is named for the Big Sandy I phase of the Archaic period (Lewis and Kneberg, 1959). The illustrated example is from Hulse Site 38 (Pine Tree), Limestone County, Alabama. Examples were found in association with a fluted midsection, Wheeler, Dalton, and Quad points on the Quad Site (Cambron and Hulse, 1960a). Ritchie, in New York (1961), described the type as the Otter Creek point. The type was dated at Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter by radiocarbon method at near 10,000 B.P. (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962). Similar examples from Danger Cave, Utah, were listed by Jennings (1957) as types W4, W25, and W26. Type W4 was recovered only from Level II, where the radiocarbon dates were 9789 ±630 B.P. and 8960 ±340 B.P. This type was described in earlier editions of this book as Big Sandy I. An unground variant, also described in earlier editions of this book as Big Sandy II, Code, No. A-11, were numerous in the Three Mile Phase at the Eva Site (Lewis and Lewis, 1961). Kneberg suggests a date of from 3500 B.C. to 1000 B.C. for this variant (1959).