BIG SANDY CONTRACTED BASE, Cambron (This Paper): A-132
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a small to medium sized, side-notched point with a contracting stem and an incurvate base. Most examples show collateral flaking and shallow serrations along the blade edges.
MEASUREMENTS: Seven cotypes supplied the following features: length, 35-60 mm.; average, 45 mm.; shoulder width, 20-26 mm.; average, 23 mm.: stem width, 20-25 mm.; average, 23 mm.: stem length, 12-16 mm.; average, 14 mm.: thickness, 5-8 mm.; average, 7 mm.: basal concavity, 3-6 mm.; average, 5 mm.: width in notches, 13-16 mm.; average, 15 mm.: notch width, 3-5 mm.; average, 4 mm.: notch depth, 3-5 mm.; average, 4 mm.: stem length below notches, 8-13 mm.: average, 11 mm.
FLAKING: Shallow pressure flaking was used to thin the basal edge. Well controlled pressure flaking was employed to shape the side notches. All blade surfaces exhibit collateral flaking.
FORM: Seventy percent of the cross-sections are median ridged; 15% are biconvex; and 15% are plano-convex. Fifty-seven percent of the blade edges are straight and 43% are excurvate. Eighty-four percent have shallow serrations along the blade edges. Bases are usually thinned and all of them are ground. Eighty-four percent of the stem edges and all notches are ground. All examples are patinated. Forty percent have acute distal ends and 60% of the distal ends are acuminate.
COMMENTS: The provenience of seven examples, from the Cave Spring Site, (Moebes, 1974) used to define this type of Big Sandy point is as follows: Level 5, 2; Level 7, 1; Level 8, 1; Stratum II. Level 7, 1; Level 8, 1; Level 9, 1; Level 10, 2; Level 11, 1; Stratum III. A similar type was described by Jennings (1957) from Danger Cave, Utah is listed as Type W 17 where dates of 9787 plus or minus 630 B.P. and 8960 plus or minus 340 B.P. were secured from levels containing this type. Two examples were classified from the collection of Steve Maloney Site DK 2 in DeKalb County, Tennessee.