DAMRON, Cambron (This Paper): A-83
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Damron point is a medium-sized point with shallow side notches.
MEASUREMENTS: Eleven cotypes, including the illustrated example, provided traits and the following measurements: length—maximum, 72 mm.; minimum, 37 mm.; average, 49 mm.: shoulder width—maximum, 32 mm.; minimum, 24 mm.; average, 27 mm.: stem width—maximum, 29 mm.; minimum, 19 mm.; average, 24 mm.: stem length—maximum, 11 mm.; minimum, 7 mm.; average, 9 mm.: thickness—maximum, 10 mm.; minimum, 7 mm.; average, 8 mm.: notch width—maximum, 8 mm.; minimum, 7 mm.; average, 7 mm.: notch depth—maximum, 5 mm.; minimum, 2 mm.; average, 3 mm.
FORM: The cross-section is usually biconvex but may be flattened or, rarely, plano-convex. Shoulders are tapered. The blade may be excurvate or straight. Some examples have one excurvate and one straight blade edge. Blade edges may be finely serrated. The steepness of some blade edges gives a near-beveled appearance. The distal end is acute. The hafting area is notched with shallow, narrow, side notches situated near the basal edge. Sides of the expanded stem are incurvate. The basal edge is usually excurvate but may be straight. Rarely, it is ground; usually it is beveled on one or both faces.
FLAKING: Fairly deep random flaking shapes the faces of the blade and hafting area. Fine, regular retouch finishes the blade edges, often resulting in fine serrations. Notches, formed by the removal of one or more flakes, are found near the basal edge. Short, deep flakes were removed in order to bevel the basal edge. Unbeveled faces are thinned. Local materials were used and all examples are patinated.
COMMENTS: The type was named from the Damron Site (Cambron Site 47), Lincoln County, Tennessee, where many examples were recovered. The illustrated example is from the Quad Site (Cambron Site 84) in Limestone County, Alabama. The type has been previously classified locally as Upper Valley Side Notched. One example was recovered from Level 8 of Zone A (an Archaic level) at the Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962). At Flint Creek Rock Shelter (Cambron and Waters, 1961) three examples were recovered from the middle Archaic Stratum and one from the upper Woodland Stratum. One example was recovered from Zone B (a Woodland level) at the Flint River Mound (Webb and DeJarnette, 1948a). The appearance of the type in surface collections from pre-shellmound sites in the Wheeler Basin of the Tennessee River indicates an early Archaic association. An association with some part of the Archaic period is suggested.