COOSA NOTCHED, DeJarnette (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Keel, 1973): A-23
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a small to medium-sized point, usually thick, with a shallow side notch.
MEASUREMENTS: The four plesiotypes from which this description was drawn range in measurements as follows: length—maximum, 41 mm.; minimum, 36 mm.; average, 39 mm.: shoulder width—maximum, 23 mm.; minimum, 20 mm.; average, 22 mm.: stem width—maximum, 15 mm.; minimum, 11 mm.; average, 13 mm.: stem length—maximum, 9 mm.; minimum, 6 mm.; average, 7 mm.: thickness—maximum, 8 mm.; minimum, 7 mm.; average, 7 mm. The illustrated examples average 35 mm. in length, 17 mm. in shoulder width, 14 mm. in stem width, 7 mm. in stem length and 7 mm. in thickness.
FORM: The cross-section is usually plano-convex but may be biconvex. In most plano-convex examples, the plane face is unmodified except for retouch. The shoulders are inversely tapered. The blade may be excurvate or straight; the blade edges are usually finely serrated. The distal end is acute. Expanded stems are present as a result of shallow side notching on the hafting area. The basal edge is usually excurvate but may be incurvate; it is usually thinned.
FLAKING: Flaking used to shape the blade and hafting area is usually random. Blade edges may be beveled on one or both sides of each face for about one-fourth the width of the blade. This retouch often results in fine serrations along the blade edges. Notches appear to have been formed by removal of short flakes. The points are made of a poor grade flint in the Coosa River area.
COMMENTS: The type was named as a variant of the Coosa point, which was named for the Coosa River in Alabama, where many examples are found. The measured and illustrated examples are from University of Alabama Coker Ford Site, Ce 200, Cherokee County, Alabama. The type is associated mostly with fabric-marked, limestone-tempered sherds at this site but also with simple-stamped, sand-tempered ware (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Keel, 1973). The type appears to be coeval with Coosa, nine examples of which were recovered from the homogeneous Camp Creek Site and listed by Lewis and Kneberg (1957) as straight short stemmed. A radiocarbon date of 2050 ±250 B. P. was obtained from this site. Scattered finds are made on Woodland sites in the Tennessee Valley. This evidence suggests a middle Woodland association in Alabama.