|
PROJECTILE POINTS
OF THE NORTH CAROLINA PIEDMONT

© North Carolina Division of Archives
and History, 1983
From: A Review of Archaeology in
the North Carolina Piedmont: A Study of Change, by H. Trawick
Ward. In The Prehistory of North Carolina: An Archaeological
Symposium, edited by Mark A. Mathis and Jeffrey J. Crow.
NC Division of Archives and History, Raleigh. 1983.
NOTE: This chart, appearing in Trawick Ward's
chapter in the Prehistory of North Carolina: An Archaeological
Symposium (1983), shows the major projectile
point types found in the North Carolina Piedmont. Many of these
types, however, are found throughout the state, from the mountains
to the sea. Types not shown in the chart, but known to occur in
varying quantities include the Paleo-Indian period Clovis
and Early to Middle Archaic period bifurcates (Lecroy
and St. Albans), to name but a few. A number of lesser
known or poorly documented "types" also have been found. This chart
identifies the most common and better documented projectile point
types. An excellent source of information on the point types found
in the mountain region is Gary Henry's "Key to Projectile
Points of the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina",
in Southern Indian Studies (Vol. 40, 1991), journal
of the North Carolina Archaeological Society.
In addition to the caveat noted above, there is
some debate regarding the cultural and temporal positioning of some
of the point types. For instance, the Paleo-Indian and Archaic period
"cut-off" is shown at around 8000 B.C., with the Palmer
type tentatively placed in the latter part of the Paleo-Indian period.
There are archaeologists familiar with the subject who argue for
an Archaic period association, rather than Paleo-Indian. Without
definitive dates, the argument may last a while longer.
Return to
REPORTS & ARTICLES
|