Question about a few broke stemmed pieces

RichPA

Full Member
Sep 21, 2009
192
3
The brown broken stemmed piece was found 9/25/09 and the black broken stemmed piece was found 10/20/09. Both pieces are flat on one side and curved on the other. These were both found in SWPA. The second picture shows how they are flat on one side. Is this type of work due to a certain time period and what time period?

All the other points found broken and whole were curved on both sides to the center edge. Unfortunately I have not found enough points from each time period to know if this occurs regularly among all time periods.

Thanks for your comments,

Rich
 

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Th3rty7

Silver Member
Jan 24, 2009
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Imo it's an indication of the point being made off a flake as opposed to a biface preform. The bottom flat area being the uniface side and the top a slightly curved flake. I don't think you can pin it down to a period, it shows up pretty regularly in all periods.
 

docmann

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Jan 2, 2009
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Rich,
I'll echo what T7 suggested. Within the very same camp site, seems you might bump into either or both. Interestingly, some outings seem to render nothing but uniface pieces where a handful of bifacial were picked up the preceding week. Can't speak to the "old" pieces, but in this region of largely "Plains Village" era, Plenty of both.
Docmann
 

artorius

Sr. Member
Jul 30, 2008
351
7
Pennsylvania
I agree with thirty7 and docmann. Occasionally I will find a piece that is worked mostly from one side. I found a Brewerton corner-notched point several years ago that is made from a slightly curved chert flake, with virtually no flaking on one side. The point certainly was serviceable, and I guess the maker did not wish to put much time into it.

Shortcuts in craftsmanship are not restricted to Late Archaic Brewerton times. I once purchased out of a junk box (cost me all of a buck) a Late Woodland Madison point found near Berwick, PA. The point was made from a fossiliferous chert that had a prominent impression of a brachiopod on one face. The maker used the brachiopod impression to create an edge on that face, and only worked the other side of that piece. Even though the edge in part is the impression of a 380+ million year old brachiopod, the point is super sharp, and I would not want to be on the receiving end of an arrow that had this point at its tip.

artorius
 

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pickaway

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Nice, where there are broken ones there are whole ones...
 

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