What is it? - THE ANSWER!

[Neanderthal]

As many of you know, I posted a red lanceolate point a while back on here and asked the question "what is it?". I will again post a picture of it below, to refresh your memory.

Believe it or not ladies & germs, this is a Calf Creek piece. It was found in direct association with other Calf Creek Complex items in Northwest Arkansas. In fact, the entire site it was found on comprises pretty much solely of Calf Creek cultural items - including Cossattot River. Would you have associated it with Calf Creek? No, but don't feel bad...nobody did except for one person. Kevin young found a similar specimen last year, same manufacturing traits. I assume the knapper broke at least one of the ears off during manufacture and decided it was still useful to him without them. If you look very closely at the lanceolate, you will see where the flaking dramatically changes (well below where the coloration changes in the material). This was the original "stem" area. Below is a picture of Kevin Young's similar lanceoloate, found in Northeast Oklahoma.

I made this post to show that things aren't always as they appear. Do not judge a point by it's outline. The majority of artifacts we found have been used and resharpened to exhaustion or near it. These points often lose their identifying traits during this process, and it becomes very hard to accurately "type" them. Below is a picture of some of the artifacts found with the Calf Creek Lanceolate. Sorry it took so long to respond!

Matt

 

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[WhiteCountyPaleo]

Paleos weren't heat treated? We have a clovis in the family that was!

 

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[Neanderthal]

Paleos weren't heat treated? We have a clovis in the family that was!

Dollar, heat treating became popular in middle archaic times. Clovis are not intentionally heat treated and there has been no evidence of it. Can you properly identify heat altered material? If it is made of heated material, than I question whether it was typed correctly, the authenticity, or what.


Steve, it would very tough to see basal grinding from a picture. You're right that not all red materials are heat treated. In this case, it's a Burlington..heat treated. Also, not all materials will turn red from heat altering..in fact, most don't. By the way, nice points.

 

[WhiteCountyPaleo]

When you look at it closely you see the black disappear with their resharpening flakes. It was obviously put in fire then
resharpened. Hard to see this in the picture. I've heard there being a field which has produced some black in this
material, Wisconsin I believe. But the black is only on the surface of this clovis. This was found by my cousin
many years ago while farming in Wolcott, Indiana.

 

[Neanderthal]

Dollar, first, let me say that is one fantastic piece. However, it has not been intentionally heat treated. When Hixton is heat treated, it often turns brilliant red, pink or orange - but it also has these colorations commonly without any heat applied. The black on that piece could be from many different things. It could be in the material itself, it could be staining (such as tannin), or could be blackened like that from temporarily being exposed to a fire (such as a grass or forest fire). However, if that was the case..it was done AFTER the point was made and not before. Heat treating flint is done to enhance it's knappable qualities prior to reducing it. In other words, although that's one fabulous piece, it was not intentionally heat treated. In addition..Hixton wasn't often heat treated (if at all), as it knaps well without it.

 

[WhiteCountyPaleo]

Dollar, first, let me say that is one fantastic piece. However, it has not been intentionally heat treated. When Hixton is heat treated, it often turns brilliant red, pink or orange - but it also has these colorations commonly without any heat applied. The black on that piece could be from many different things. It could be in the material itself, it could be staining (such as tannin), or could be blackened like that from temporarily being exposed to a fire (such as a grass or forest fire). However, if that was the case..it was done AFTER the point was made and not before. Heat treating flint is done to enhance it's knappable qualities prior to reducing it. In other words, although that's one fabulous piece, it was not intentionally heat treated. In addition..Hixton wasn't often heat treated (if at all), as it knaps well without it.

It's my opinion that it may have been in fire to possibly cure lashings.
I don't recall any resharpening below the ground sides. The top left of
the clovis in the first photo at the tip shows no black in the row of flakes.
And this piece is very orange! I've always noticed that it had black except
curtain long narrow chips.

 

[Neanderthal]

It's possible that it was in a fire. However, it was not intentionally heat treated. It's common to find points that show signs of being in fire without bieng purposeful.

Here's a scenario for you on how this could happen. Let's say a projectile has struck and taken down the quarry. Many of the points don't clear the animal and are left in the meat. We know that the natives did in fact still cook the game with the points inside, due to the numbers that are found in firepits and show signs of impact and spalding from the fire itself. I have found several points that exhibit just such signs. Blackened from the fire, it's not uncommon to find them resharpened afterwards. Just something else to consider.

 

[WhiteCountyPaleo]

It's possible that it was in a fire. However, it was not intentionally heat treated. It's common to find points that show signs of being in fire without bieng purposeful.

Here's a scenario for you on how this could happen. Let's say a projectile has struck and taken down the quarry. Many of the points don't clear the animal and are left in the meat. We know that the natives did in fact still cook the game with the points inside, due to the numbers that are found in firepits and show signs of impact and spalding from the fire itself. I have found several points that exhibit just such signs. Blackened from the fire, it's not uncommon to find them resharpened afterwards. Just something else to consider.

It was found in an area that was once a wetland. Ditches were dug to allow for farming. It
was also found in black dirt. So, to say it was stuck in a mastodon when cooked does seem likely.
That's one big hunk of meat!

 

[WhiteCountyPaleo]

Why heat treat when you have the beginning of quarry sites.