CAVE SPRING, Cambron (This Paper): A-126
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Cave Spring is a small to medium sized, bifurcated point with an expanded stem.
MEASUREMENTS: Seven cotypes from Strata II and III of the Cave Spring type site (Moebes, 1974) provided the following traits and measurements: length, 50-32 mm.; average, 40 mm.: shoulder width, 25-17 mm.; average, 20 mm.: stem width, 17-11 mm.; average, 15 mm.: stem length, 17-10 mm.; average, 13 mm.: thickness, 6-5 mm.; average 6 mm. The illustrated example, from Stratum III, measures 50 mm. in length, 20 mm. in shoulder width, 14 mm. in stem width, 16 mm. in stem length and 6 mm. in thickness. Stratum III points averaged longer and slightly narrower than points from Stratum II.
FORM: The cross-section is usually biconvex but may be plano-convex or rarely median ridged. Shoulders are usually tapered but may be barbed or rarely horizontal. Blade edges are nearly always straight, rarely excurvate. The distal end is usually acute; rarely broad. The hafting area consists of an expanded stem that is shallowly bifurcated. Stem width usually exceeds the stem length.
FLAKING: Broad, shallow, random flaking is in evidence on the stem and blade. Collateral flaking was used to finish the blades of most examples. Fine retouch is present along most blade edges. Long shallow flakes were removed to thin the base in the basal concavity. One example from Level 5, Stratum II, had diagonal flakes struck from the base in the same tradition as Decatur points. One large flake was struck from each side of each face of the stem forming a shallow notch where the stem joins the blade. These notches and all other stem edges are usually ground. All examples were made of local material and all were patinated.
COMMENTS: The type was named after the Cave Spring Site in Morgan County, Alabama, where examples were recognized during excavation. The illustrated example is from Level 8, Stratum III. Except for the bifurcated stem some examples are similar to some of the Jude points recovered in this excavation. Some of the blades of Cave Spring points are similar to blades of some Big Sandy points recovered at this site. The provenience and associations at this site strongly suggest a late Transitional Paleo-Indian affiliation as well as early Archaic. One example from the Big Sandy Site in Tennessee is shown in Fig. E, Plate 4 (Bell, 1960). One example is illustrated from the Packard Site, Mays County, Oklahoma, Plate VIII, Fig. 3 (Wyckoff, 1964).