ADENA NARROW STEMMED, Cambron (This Paper): A-1-a
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a medium to large point with a long, rounded stem and a long, excurvate blade.
MEASUREMENTS: The illustrated example measures 92 mm. in length, 32 mm. in width, 19 mm. in stem width, 21 mm. in stem length, 9 mm. in thickness.
FORM: The cross-section is biconvex. The shoulders may be horizontal or slightly tapered. The blade shape is excurvate but may be almost straight with an acute distal end. The stem is long and is usually rounded, but it may have straight side edges with an excurvate basal edge. A slightly expanded stem occurs rarely.
FLAKING: The blade and stem were produced by broad percussion flaking, which results in rather uniform flake scars. The technique may be described as random flaking, but may approach collateral flaking on some examples. The blade edges are finished by secondary flaking with some fine retouching. The stem edges were treated in a manner similar to that of the blade.
COMMENTS: The type is described as a variant of the classic Adena point. The illustrated example is from Cambron Site 76 (Pine Tree). Some sites have produced only one of the two Adena variants, which may simply indicate a high degree of variation of the Adena point or may, upon further investigation, prove to be an indication that the two types are associated with somewhat different cultures. Several good examples from Natrium Mound in West Virginia are illustrated by Solecki (1953). Some of his points shown in Plate 28, Figures R, T, and U, were found arranged in association with a burial. Classic Adena points (Figures V and W, Plate 28) and other artifacts were also found with this burial. Closely associated with another burial and accompanying artifacts were points illustrated as Figures X and Y, Plate 28. At this site, the types were contemporaneous.
An Adena Narrow Stemmed point was recovered from a feature pit in Stratum I at the Danley Site (Cambron, Dowell and O'Mahoney, 1962) along with a Wheeler Punctate sherd, a Cotaco Creek point, one polished and three flaked flint celts, and other artifacts. The Flint Creek Rock Shelter (Cambron and Waters, 1961) and Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962) produced classic Adena but no Adena Narrow Stemmed points. The narrow, stemmed type is probably coeval with the classic Adena type on most Alabama sites.