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Paleoindian projectile points occur in high numbers in the American Southeast, and when compared to other regions of the East, the Southeast has the greatest projectile-point diversity. In ...

At the end of the Pleistocene, Dalton hunter-gatherers substantially altered their technology by crafting points with serrated, beveled, and tapered blade margins. The functions of these attributes have been the focus of a long-held debate. Some archaeologists argue that the variation was the result of resharpening and use in varied tasks, like cutting—showing an adaptive shift to processing smaller game like deer. Other researchers suggest these new attributes were designed from the outset for the single functional use as projectiles. In this study, we use actualistic experiments to build analogues for interpreting microscopic usewear traces on an archaeological Dalton point assemblage from the Brand site, Arkansas. We then consider changes in point functionality within the broader context of the organization of Dalton lithic technology and how these changes reflect adaptations to the emerging Holocene environment.

The state of South Carolina is examined by the physiographic provinces of Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain using established Paleoindian projectile point types and their geographic distributions by raw materials. Foraging ranges are reconstructed. There is a substantial drop in post-Clovis point frequencies, as seen elsewhere in the Southeast, with a great increase by Dalton times. Younger Dryas age environmental changes are reviewed, with late Pleistocene flora and fauna changes noted. Starting in Dalton times, sea level rise appears to have affected settlement strategies due to the inundation of the primary resource habitats of the Coastal Plain. The Piedmont Transhumance hypothesis is offered as an explanation of these changes.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the recent geochemical analysis of three bifaces from the Hogeye Clovis period cache recovered in Bastrop, Texas with the geochemistry of 302 geologic samples. These samples are derived from seven primary sources spread through the Edwards Plateau region and adjacent areas. The results of this analysis and comparison suggest that the three bifaces may be derived from chert resources geochemically similar to those found at the Gault Site in Central Texas. The results also hint that the Hogeye Cache may have served as either an insurance cache or a communal contribution from multiple groups living near the Gault Site and Buttermilk Creek.

The Hogeye Clovis cache is comprised of 52 late-stage bifaces, finished points, and knife/cores cached in central Texas. Because these artifacts were all likely made and cached approximately 13,000 years ago by one or a handful of knappers belonging to a single band with a shared Clovis cultural template, Hogeye provides a rare opportunity to investigate Clovis lithic reduction signatures. This paper builds on previous analyses and presents new methods for quantifying Clovis biface production signatures, including serial flaking and the timing of last overshot flaking. The results show that the Hogeye cache bifaces technologically and morphologically differ from other regional Clovis biface reduction signatures. Additional data is needed to determine whether these differences reflect individual knapping preferences or regional cultural signatures. The methods used and developed here are not Clovis-specific and could be modified and combined with other analytical techniques to identify reduction signatures in biface assemblages from other times and places.

Bend and radially broken flake tools have been identified in Paleolithic and Paleoindian assemblages, and their presence raises important questions. Were these breaks intentionally produced to serve as tool edges or were broken flakes simply scavenged? More importantly, can we distinguish between intentionally produced breaks and those produced incidentally? Experimental archaeology can help answer these questions. In this paper, three sets of experimentally produced bend and radial flake breaks were compared. Flakes were intentionally broken by percussion, and these breaks were compared to those produced during bifacial core reduction and by flake trampling. The presence of point of impact markers, near ninety degree break angles, and an assemblage with high percentages of bend and radial breaks distinguish intentional fracture from incidental fractures produced during bifacial reduction. High percentages of radial breaks distinguish intentional fracture from trampling. Finally, it may not be possible to identify intentional breaks in a bifacial reduction assemblage severely affected by flake-on-flake trampling.