FLAKING: Random flaking was first employed to shape the blade and stem faces. This was followed by collateral, rarely random, flaking, usually resulting in regular serrations along the blade edges. Blade edges were worked in to form expanded barbs. The corner notches were formed by the removal of one or more large flakes, with retouch along the stem edge. Some retouch was used to finish the basal edge. All examples are patinated and are usually made of local materials.
COMMENTS: The type was named from points found on and near the Pine Tree Site Cambron 76 (Cambron, 1956) in Limestone County, Alabama. The illustrated example is from Cambron Site 19 in Morgan County, Alabama. The type was formerly included with the Pine Tree point (Cambron, 1957) but was later referred to locally as Pine Tree Variant. It is a pre-shellmound or early Archaic type. Physical characteristics indicate a greater antiquity for this type than for the Pine Tree type, but surface collection associations suggest a contemporaneous existence.
PLEVNA, Cambron (DeJarnette, Kurjack and Cambron, 1962): A-72
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Plevna is a medium to large, corner notched point with excurvate base and beveled on one edge of each face.
MEASUREMENTS: Nine cotypes from North Alabama and Southern Tennessee, including the illustrated example, provided the following measurements and traits: length—maximum, 95 mm.; minimum, 46 mm.; average, 65 mm.: shoulder width—maximum, 35 mm.; minimum, 26 mm.; average, 30 mm.: stem width—maximum, 31 mm.; minimum, 24 mm.; average, 27 mm.: stem length—maximum, 17 mm.; minimum, 12 mm.; average, 15 mm.: thickness—maximum, 10 mm.; minimum, 7 mm.; average, 8 mm.
FORM: The cross-section is rhomboid. Shoulders are inversely tapered or horizontal. Where shoulder barbs are present they may be expanded. Blade edges are usually straight, but may be incurvate or excurvate and may be serrated. They are always beveled on one edge of each face. Distal ends are acute. The hafting area is corner notched, with deep narrow notches that average about 4 mm. wide at the blade edge, 2 or 3 mm. wide at the bottom of the notch, and about 6 mm. deep along the stem edge. The expanded stem usually has straight side edges, and the basal edge is always excurvate, thinned, and ground.
FLAKING: Broad, shallow, random flaking was employed to produce flattened faces of the blade. Most blades were probably excurvate with a gentle bevel before one edge of each face was reworked by short, shallow to deep, flaking which often created serrations. Repeated reworking of these blade edges resulted in steep beveling and often in incurvate blade edges. The notches were formed at the widest part of the blade by the initial removal of one broad deep flake from each side of each face. The area thus thinned was then notched by removal of short fine flakes. The hafting area was thinned by broad, shallow flaking followed by the removal of small, shallow flakes along the basal edge. Local materials were used, and all examples showed patination.
COMMENTS: The point is named from points found on the Plevna Site (Cambron 79) in Madison County, Alabama, associated with Eva and other early Archaic types. The illustrated example is from Hulse Site 38, Limestone County, Alabama. The type is associated with pre-shellmound materials in North Alabama and is considered an early Archaic type. Physical characteristics suggest that Plevna points may be ancestral to the unbeveled, late Archaic to early Woodland St. Charles points (Bell, 1960) found throughout the Ohio Valley and in surrounding states. A date of sometime before 5000 years ago is suggested for the type in Alabama.