“And the point is?” An Analysis of Intact Projectile Points from a Middle Woodland Period Site
Disciplines
Archaeological Anthropology
Abstract (300 words maximum)
The Lower Dabbs Site, a Middle Woodland period (300 BC-AD 600) site, is located on the banks of the Etowah River in Cartersville, situated just a few miles northwest of the Etowah Indians Mounds. It has been the location for KSU’s archaeology field school taught by Dr. Terry Powis. While the artifacts (primarily ceramics) from Lower Dabbs have revealed a considerable amount of cultural information about the daily life of prehistoric Native Americans in north Georgia, we have yet to learn about the lithic assemblage found after two years of investigation. While ceramic materials are undoubtedly important evidence when it comes to analyzing and dating a site, lithic materials are arguably equally important. Lithic materials refer to such items as stone tools and weapons. One of the main lithic artifacts found include projectile points (often referred to in popular culture as ‘arrowheads’). The purpose of this project is to analyze intact points from the site, as well as discern these points from what people commonly refer to as arrowheads. Additionally, this research addresses the presence of what is known to the archaeological community as a “PP/K” (Projectile Point/Knife), and discusses how they differ from traditional projectile points. The understanding of these recovered materials is just as essential (if not more) to understanding the role of pottery at this small village site. The understanding of these Middle Woodland lithic materials could potentially reveal evidence such as dietary patterns, subsistence strategies, and even trade routes amongst the peoples of this time period.
Keywords: Georgia, Bartow County, Prehistoric Native Americans, Middle Woodland, Projectile Point
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - Geography & Anthropology
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Terry Powis
“And the point is?” An Analysis of Intact Projectile Points from a Middle Woodland Period Site
The Lower Dabbs Site, a Middle Woodland period (300 BC-AD 600) site, is located on the banks of the Etowah River in Cartersville, situated just a few miles northwest of the Etowah Indians Mounds. It has been the location for KSU’s archaeology field school taught by Dr. Terry Powis. While the artifacts (primarily ceramics) from Lower Dabbs have revealed a considerable amount of cultural information about the daily life of prehistoric Native Americans in north Georgia, we have yet to learn about the lithic assemblage found after two years of investigation. While ceramic materials are undoubtedly important evidence when it comes to analyzing and dating a site, lithic materials are arguably equally important. Lithic materials refer to such items as stone tools and weapons. One of the main lithic artifacts found include projectile points (often referred to in popular culture as ‘arrowheads’). The purpose of this project is to analyze intact points from the site, as well as discern these points from what people commonly refer to as arrowheads. Additionally, this research addresses the presence of what is known to the archaeological community as a “PP/K” (Projectile Point/Knife), and discusses how they differ from traditional projectile points. The understanding of these recovered materials is just as essential (if not more) to understanding the role of pottery at this small village site. The understanding of these Middle Woodland lithic materials could potentially reveal evidence such as dietary patterns, subsistence strategies, and even trade routes amongst the peoples of this time period.
Keywords: Georgia, Bartow County, Prehistoric Native Americans, Middle Woodland, Projectile Point