PEDERNALIS, Kelley (Suhm, Krieger and Jelks, 1954): A-68
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a medium to large point with bifurcated stem.
MEASUREMENTS: Suhm and Jelks (1962) list some measurements in mm., as follows: "Length, max. 130, min. 30, av. between 60 and 90; average width 30 to 50; stem width 15 to 30; stem length 15 to 20." The illustrated example provided the following measurements: length, 87 mm.; width of shoulders, 32 mm.; width of stem, 28 mm.; stem length, 25 mm.; thickness, 6 mm.; depth of basal concavity, 8 mm.
FORM: The cross-section may be biconvex or flattened. Shoulders may be horizontal or barbed. "Blade edges are usually straight or excurvate, but occasionally incurvate, recurved, or narrowed to a slim needle-like tip." (Bell, 1958.) The distal end is usually acute. The stem is usually straight, but may be slightly contracted with straight or excurvate side edges. The basal edge is incurvate, usually deeply so, and may be thinned by removal of large flakes, and may be near beveled on some examples. Grinding of basal edges is seldom present.
FLAKING: Broad, shallow flakes were removed to shape the blade and stem. Deeper shorter flaking was used to finish all edges. On many examples large broad flakes were removed to form the shoulders, especially on barbed examples. The thinning of the bases of some examples was accomplished by removal of one or several large thin flakes. Local materials were generally used.
COMMENTS: The type was named from sites in central Texas where it is regarded as a diagnostic type of the "Round Rock Focus" (Kelley, 1947a). The illustrated example is from the Helen Womack collection of Bedford County, Tennessee. Suhm, Krieger and Jelks (1954) list Pedernalis as "very common over all of central Texas." It is listed as a common point found with the Edwards Plateau aspect of the Archaic period with an estimated age of 4000 B. C. to 500 or 1000 A. D. (Suhm, Krieger and Jelks, 1954). An example of the type appears in unknown provenience at Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962). A broken example from the middle of the Archaic Stratum II at Flint Creek Rock Shelter (Cambron and Waters, 1961) appears to have been reworked on one blade edge to a burin. Two examples were recovered from Zone C (upper Archaic) at Flint River Shell Mound (Webb and DeJarnette, 1948a). A suggested association for Alabama is late Archaic or early Woodland.