Sitting on the fence? Snapped Base Kirk

[1320]

This link won't change a mind that is already made up, it is for those of us that believe in the possibility of intentional breakage. Although the examples in the link aren't Kirk typology, the practice could have continued into the Archaic. I hear the argument that it's "just a broke Kirk" all the time but I never see any "snapped based Lost Lakes" or "snapped base Pinetrees". I see no other corner notch lithic that snaps like the Kirk even though they are similiarly constructed and likely hafted the same.

My mind isn't made up either way, I've yet to see any scientific data or study that addresses either side of the arguement. Please don't rehash the "Overstreet" arguement....that's taking the easy way out.


Caradoc

 

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[Tnmountains]

If you find doves your answer will be a vehement no. If you find no doves and Kirks your answer will be a vehement yes. Lol. People will say bases snap off everything and they are right. My take is they are usually a high quality blade why not use them as the knife they are. They are to old I guess for mortuary practices. I have a couple snaps I dug and one has a snapped base but with slight signs of touch up. I do not understand the use as it seems they would grind the sides for hafting like late paleo I would like to see good links for and against this practice. Fun post 1320

 

[GatorBoy]

Well put.. the obvious is.... normally fact.
I've never heard one practical theroy on why a base would be intentionally snapped off...or one possible benifit in doing so.

 

[quito]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but since I have this copied and ready to post on another thread, I thought this intentional snapping would fit here too. I don't think coincidence on these two points with so many facets to the break areas.
.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

I do think that some of these may have actually been used after the bases were broken off during use, because as has been said before, they were very nicely knapped Blades and wouldn't have just been tossed away after they broke off the base. However, I don't believe that they were made as a whole Point, base and all, and then intentionally snapped the base off of them to create a "Snapped Base Point". That would have been a huge waste of time and material.

1320, I have seen Lost Lakes, Pine Trees, and even Doves with bases snapped off from use but that doesn't make them a "Snapped Base" type Point. Just a piece that has had the base broken off just like these Kirks.

No one will ever convince me that these were snapped off intentionally.

 

[Th3rty7]

I'm on the fence as well. Honestly though I don't think we'll ever have definitive proof of either theory. I have seen / own / handled " snapped based " archaic notched types like Dove / Lake / Thebes but I have to agree it's far more common with Kirks. Were they extreme hard use knives that broke often with use? Were they salvaged after the snap and still used in another fashion? I don't know nor do I think we'll ever know. One thing for sure this argument is strongly two sided.

Here are two beveled " snapped base " Lost Lakes, a black Kirk CN and two Stemmed Kirks with snapped but reworked bases. The white Flint Ridge example has a tip reworked into a chisel. Was this done after the snapped base, salvaged into a tool? I don't know.

Regardless of personal opinion " Snapped Base Kirk " is well established throughout the hobby for better or worse.

Just my .02

 

[GatorBoy]

The mere fact that one is reworked should be enough to tell anyone the break was not planned.

 

[tomclark]

snapped is broke. Boom. Look at the fresh break/patina change in many. Of course many are ancient breaks and patina is over the break as well as the entire point. Every FL type I have has many a broken base and I have a load of little square butts. At one site there was a load of these little square butts and broken bases at a seasonal camp along a wetland/sinkhole. You could virtually see where they came back to camp with broken butts still in the haft of their spears, reworked them right there putting new points on. Harder to make a proper spear than an effective point, IMHOP.

 

[Th3rty7]

" snapped is broke. "

Not always, snapped / killed Turkey Tails, snapped platform above the bulb of percussion on paleo knives and tools, and other intentionally snapped techniques.

 

[Tnmountains]

The snap/break. Dug one, a field find and a water find.I probably have more in buckets with brokes. I do like the knifes though.

 

[Twitch]

This comes up every few months. The problem in my mind is that some clown decided at some point to name the type 'snapped base Kirk' suggesting that they were finished, then broken, then used, a premise I think no reasonable person would get behind. However, I do think some of them are intentionally made that way. Not that the base is 'snapped', rather it is the finished form for the type. I know I'm in the minority on this particular topic. As the type sits today, it's a fully functional and utilizable tool. They're not 'snapped base points' any more than Decatur's or clipped wing Dove's are missing their ears.

Like SRV said, I think we all agree that certainly these weren't stemmed points that had the bases intentionally broken off.

Quito - I believe the two artifact you posted are whole pieces, and not artifacts that have basal damage.

TomClark - All of that being said, certainly stems did also break off of stemmed points. Like you I have a ton of broken stems all by themselves.

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