Drill or projectile point?

[dreamcatcher]

Found this recently along with the tools and potsherds. What do you thing the long, skinny thing in the middle was used for?

[DigDug]

Looks like a drill point to me. Arrapho on the board is very good with artifacts. Where did you find them?

[dreamcatcher]

Thanks. These, along with many others, were found on my own private property. I live on about 9 acres in Montgomery County, NC in a little place called Ophir. Near Low Water Bridge. Uwharrie mountains.

[dreamcatcher]

Here's more from the same site...look at the size of flint temper used in those potshards

[arappaho]

Hey, Dreamcatcher, You look like you've been having some
good walks lately! ;D
All of your artifacts are from the Woodland Period, which is the
latest period. The Woodland Period is marked by the introduction
of the bow and arrow and ceramics, and begins roughly 4000
yrs ago. I would guess everything you pictured to date within the last 1000 yrs.
The piece you are wondering about is called a Randolph Stemmed
projectile point. It is the very last type style of arrowhead named
for this area. These points were very crudely made and often were made from found flakes and points of previous time periods.
Yes, they recycled. But by this time the indians had access to
guns and metal and using the old bow and arrow was about ready to fade into the past. J. Coe has placed the date for these
projectile points, used by small destitute bands and holdouts at
1725 AD up to 1800 AD.
The triangular point in the first pic, I'd guess to be a Caraway,
which dates to just before, 1700-1725, and the beauty of a little
serrated point in the last pic, I would guess to be called a
Pee Dee Triangular, but not sure about that one. It's a nice one!
With alittle research you may be able to date your pottery sherds
as well. One way of telling them apart is the type of temper used.
Those last pieces of pottery look like they are tempered with
crushed quartz, which is typical of late Yadkin pottery, to name
just one type.
Archaeologist really like sites that are from the time period of
your stuff. It is called a "Contact Period" site, where they can
possibly find evidence of what kind of effect white man had on
the aboriginals. Ofcourse, I think we all no the short answer to
that story.
For more info you may want to Google, Randolph Projectile Points
in NC, or something like that.

Joe

[dreamcatcher]

Thanks Arappaho. I've found quite a few Randolphs in the area but this is my first stemmed. You're right on the Randolphs - not much work put into making them pretty but I guess they were practical. In the area I work regularly I have found some very old points/tools right in the same area as Woodland points. Here's a pic of what I assume is probably a Savannah River point and you can see around the edges where it was reworked probably by someone in the Woodland era. Speaking of Jeff Coe - when I was a teenager (early 50s) a friend and I would go down and Coe would let us run a sifter when they were excavating the mound. Thanks again.

[DigDug]

Nice collection. Told you...Arappaho is the resident projectile genius....lol.

By the way, Arappaho...."cough"....still have not found any yet...."sniff - sob"....LOL

[arappaho]

Thanks for the vote of confidence, DigDug. Archaeology,
especially in the southeast, has long been an interest of mine.
Ya'know I could give you an arrowhead but it just wouldn't be
the same as finding your own.

And catch my dream, dreamcatcher! You shook a shaker box
at Town Creek for Mr. Coe!!! FYI, they have been doing
alittle excavating at Town Creek the last couple of years. I think
they will be opening a few 10' by 10' squares next year. The
public is allowed to help for the weekend. You may want to go
to reminisce.
Nice Sav. River point. And, yes, it looks like the edge could've
been retouched. And I see that little piece of chipped and
flaked quartz crystal there. That's the type of piece I find at
a lot of sites.

Joe

[dreamcatcher]

Got another one with a question mark. Is the broken point in the center a Kirk or what? Thanks.

[arappaho]

Yep, I would call that a Kirk Stemmed.
(Here we go with that 'stemmed' thing again.
First you have the Kirk Corner-Notched and then the Kirk Stemmed. And then that is supposed to be the end of
Kirks. And yours looks to have been reworked a time
or two.
I know you've got a few you have no doubt about what they
are! We'll look at pics of those too.
You know I was just thru your neck of the woods down
there this past Saturday on my way back from the quarry
in China Grove. Poked around that new city they're building
east of Concord and then took 24/27 back.

Joe

[dreamcatcher]

Thanks Joe. I don't know if you are familiar with the little store up in Uwharrie that used to be "Mullinix Grocery". He sold out a year or so ago. He and I used to do a lot of searching and have a pretty good collection of local stuff. I'll go up to his place and take a pic of the collection and post later. Here's a few of my recent finds:

[dreamcatcher]

Joe - or anyone else - One question I have is the potsherd in the 3rd photo above....Anyone agree that this is Dan River Net Impressed? Thanks

[arappaho]

Hey Larry,
I just saw your other post and am incredibly impressed with
what you have done and the way you've done it! Practicing
Primitive is A OK with me and you have really accomplished
something there. I would love to see your work sometime.

And yes, Dan River sounds right to me. According to Coe it was more predominant than the other two types he
identified which are the Uwharrie and the Badin Net-Impressed.
But he said they were darker overall with a real fine sand temper.

I see alot of Pee Dee influence in the points you are finding and
I would call that last one,(best for last), a Side-Notched Hardaway
but I wonder if others would agree?
And I still like that little black serrated arrowhead best. ;D

Thanks for posting the pics, Joe.

[arappaho]

OK, OK. I need Hardawaybadin to straighten me out on this one, too.
I'm really flunking when it comes to spotting those Earred-Yadkins.

All I can see now is Emerald Green. Crabtree here we come!
Joe

[dreamcatcher]

Hey Joe. I had that one classified as an Eared Yadkin. What's a few thousand years between friends? But, I must admit -- I thought I had a nice Hardaway when I first found it. The notches do not appear to be as deep as the Hardaway and the base doesn't appear to be as pronounced as the Hardaways. Keep in mind that I'm no authority on these things by any stretch of the imagination. By the way, I am really enjoying this forum.