SOUTH PRONG CREEK, Lewis (This Paper): A-138
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The South Prong Creek point is a large, broad, stemmed, and serrated point.
MEASUREMENTS: Examples which provided the features, including the illustrated example, ranged in measurements as follows: length—maximum, 101 mm.; minimum, 46 mm.; average, 72 mm.: shoulder width—maximum, 59 mm.; minimum, 46 mm.; average, 38 mm.: stem width—maximum, 18 mm.; minimum, 17 mm.; average, 18 mm.: stem length—maximum, 12 mm.; minimum, 8 mm.; average, 11 mm.: thickness—maximum, 10 mm.; minimum, 8 mm.; average, 9 mm.
FORM: The cross-section is flattened. The blade edges are usually straight but may be slightly excurvate or recurvate and are always serrated with an acute distal end that is devoid of serrations. Shoulders may be straight or tapered. The stem is short and thinned at the base and along the side edges. The basal edge may be straight or excurvate and may exhibit light grinding.
FLAKING: The thin blade is shaped by good, broad, and shallow random flaking on the faces. The removal of small deep flakes along the blade edges, starting above the shoulders and ending below the distal end, produced strong serrations and a beveling effect. The removal of fairly large flakes at the junction of the stem and shoulders thinned the sides of the stem as well as the shoulders at this point.
COMMENTS: The type was named from a surface site on South Prong Creek in Richmond County, Georgia, near Augusta, in the Red Hills fall line and approximately 300 feet above mean sea level. Eight examples, including the illustrated example, were recovered from this site (Lewis Site No. 606). Two examples of unknown origin from the Augusta-Richmond County Museum helped provide additional measurements and features for the type. Other artifacts recovered from the type site include: 13 Big Sandy points, 1 Greenbrier Dalton point, 1 Ecusta point, 1 Plevna point, 26 Morrow Mountain points, 1 Morrow Mountain Straight Base point, 3 Morrow Mountain Rounded Base points, 3 Guilford Rounded Base points, 1 Guilford point, 8 Savannah River points, 1 Gary point, 1 Wade point, 1 Yadkin point, 2 Madison points, 25 P-1 Stemmed points, 1 used scraper, 1 flint gouge, 7 mortars, 3 manos, 1 hammer-abrader, 7 steatite hammers, and 1 perforater. These artifacts suggest a Transitional Paleo-Early Archaic and Archaic occupation of the site with a sparse occupation by Woodland and Mississippian people. An age of 3000 to 4500 years B. P. is suggested for the type (Michie, personal communication, 1975). The association of other artifacts from the site indicates an earlier date for the type (Lewis, personal communication, 1975).