WHEELER RECURVATE, Cambron (Cambron, 1955a and 1957): A-86
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a small to medium sized auriculate point with incurvate base, steeply worked basal edge, and recurvate side edges.
MEASUREMENTS: Nine points from six sites in the Tennessee River Valley provided the following measurements: length—maximum, 68 mm.; minimum, 27 mm.; average, 55 mm.: width—average, 19 mm.: thickness—average, 7 mm. The illustrated example provided the following measurements: length, 45 mm.; width of blade, 20 mm.; width at base, 13 mm.; thickness, 5 mm.; depth of basal concavity, 4 mm.
FORM: The cross-section is usually biconvex, but may be plano-convex. Blade edges are excurvate above the hafting area. Distal ends are acute. The hafting area is expanded pointed, with deeply incurvate, steeply flaked basal edge.
FLAKING: Shallow, random flaking was used to shape the faces of the blade and hafting area. Fairly broad flakes were removed in shaping the blade edges, followed by very fine secondary retouching along the edges. Large flakes were often removed in forming the basal concavity and several short narrow flakes were removed to form a steeply flaked basal edge. Local materials were used, especially Ft. Payne chert.
COMMENTS: The type was named from points found on the Stone Pipe Site (Cambron, 1955a) in the Wheeler Basin of the Tennessee River, Limestone County, Alabama. The illustrated example is from this site (Cambron 156). Two points similar to Wheeler Recurvate were found at the Scharbauer Site near Midland, Texas (Wendorf, Krieger, Albritton and Stewart, 1955). One was near human bones in Locality 1 and one was from Locality 2. Both were in association with early materials, especially Folsom materials. A radiocarbon date of 20,000 years ago was secured from fire hearth at the site (Associated Press story in The Nashville Tennessean, Oct. 14, 1956). The type is similar to McKean points, but appears to be older and, unlike McKean points, the basal edge is steeply beveled. This type appears with Wheeler Excurvate and Wheeler Triangular points on pre-shellmound sites in North Alabama. Evidence indicates a transitional Paleo-Indian association.