Paleo - Early Archaic Unifacial

[tomclark]

Hillsborough County, FL
Found at a site that produced from Clovis to Bolen only, mostly Suwannees.

 

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[GatorBoy]

Very nice example. Love the patina. Could you explain how a Paleo uniface would be distinguished from something from the archaic? I ask because I have one I would like your opinion on.

 

[tomclark]

It would almost have to be context to determine paleo vs archaic on unifacials. And take patina into account. Unless the flaking over the top is particularly paleo, I don't think there is much difference. Same with end scrapers....many also found on this site, classic PES usually with graver spurs.
Paleo man here did a lot of work which required this type of tool, At this site we find many more tools like this one than broken or whole points. the worked edges are particularly acute in many cases. Nothing newer than Bolen has ever been found by me or any of my buddies at this site.

 

[GatorBoy]

I have a unifacial piece from the bog site that seems to be getting older as I go. I was never quite sure if it was stratified or not but it seems so now. So far I have middle archaic for sure. Check out this nice scraper/flesher.. the flaking is all percussion and horizontal to the edge.

 

[old digger]

I would say Paleo. The piece looks like it is made from Basalt. Archaic cultures didn't work much with Basalt. Just from my experience and judgement.

 

[GatorBoy]

I appreciate the input..I did have to chip it out of stone. I kept the stone it fits in it like a little display.although I know the material.It is called Rice grain coastal plains chert.It gets its name from the many fossil inclusions that often look like grains of rice.

 

[GatorBoy]

...

 

[tomclark]

MMMMMmmmm....Rice Grain......!!! we could start a new thread about chert/coral/material types...but I only know Florida!
Here's a rice grain chert Greenbriar from the Santa Fe River near High Springs, FL. It IS one of the LAST "legal" (reported) finds during Florida's Isolated Finds Program, which the state abolished.

 

[GatorBoy]

Man that's a nice greenbriar! I could still be wrong about the material but I do know its chert. I could go on and on about the isolated finds program too..and how the internet changed things... People disappointed me a lot.