Some Paleo Tools for Joshuareem

[uniface]

Rather than make a long thread longer, I figured I'd start a new one that references some of the stuff Joshua has posted. (Overcast day -- hope the photos are OK).

First off, outrepasse flakes. I've been bending my wits trying to figure the right-angle terminations and wide striking platforms of Joshua's out. Without success.

Illustrated here is a continuum of the outrepasse flake form I'm familiar with. These have a distinct bulb of percussion and run flat until they terminate in a sharply downward "hook," taking the knapped edge of the other side of the biface with it. They're arranged in an extent-of-reworking sequence, from left to right.

At left is a broad OPF from the Ohio/Michigan border. The center of the working edge is just beginning to be retouched into an endscraper.

In the middle is a narrower one from Kentucky. Its right edge is a fully developed sidescraper or high-angle knife and the distal end is an endscraper. The left side (very thin) is being used occasionally as a knife.

At right (same area as the first) is pretty close to the end of the line for a tool on an outrepasse flake. The endscraper edge is still functioning, but the rest of it has been reworked and/or broken away until it's a thumb-scraper.

[uniface]

OK. Now Limace-like tools (ref. the Florida examples).

Left : Florida. Both ends mostly cleaned of swamp gunk. Right : Ohio. Limace with endscraper and graver spur terminations.

Left : Maryland ; Jasper's from a little quarry there. Curved Sidescraper (tried to tilt these to show the edges) & multi-purpose tool of Logan Chert from Michigan/Ohio border (Auglaze river site).

[uniface]

There are some intriguing parallels between some of the stuff we've posted here and Dalton Sidescrapers :

http://www.lithiccastinglab.com/gall...aperslarge.htm

[joshuaream]

Uniface,

I'll take a couple of shots when I get home this weekend. The OPF that I pictured are missing the bases (percussion areas), what you are seeing is where the flake crossed the midline of the biface and took out part of the opposite bifacially flaked edge creating a sturdy awl. When I found my first one, I just figured it was a mistake that someone used. There have been about 25 examples that have come from the site, and I don't think they were mistakes anymore because of the common traits. I've got a couple broken bifaces that show this removal, I'll picture them as well.

[uniface]

aHa !

Looking forward !