Reassessing Early Archaic projectile point typologies in the Carolina Piedmont through gross morphometric analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACT Palmer and Kirk Corner-Notched projectile points are common in archaeological assemblages of the Carolina Piedmont dating to the Early Archaic (11,500–9,000 cal BP). These types were initially described by Joffre Lanning Coe ([1964] The Formative Cultures of the Carolina Piedmont. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society 54(5):1–130. DOI:10.2307/3231919) in his seminal typology and are now well documented as the primary hafted bifacial tools diagnostic of the region’s early Holocene occupation. Several studies describe morphological similarities between Palmer and Kirk points – as defined by Coe – but there is little agreement regarding the chronological and typological relationships between them; some maintain that they are discrete point types while others believe they instead represent distinct use-life stages of a single type. The inconsistencies of these perspectives indicate that this aspect of Coe’s typology requires a reassessment. Here, we demonstrate substantial overlap in Palmer and Kirk Corner-Notched points’ haft morphologies and significant differences in their overall proportions, a combination of traits that better supports the hypothesis that all Early Archaic corner-notched points in the Carolina Piedmont are of a single type. Combining these historically separated point types into a single one resolves longstanding confusions and permits new lines of inquiry regarding Early Archaic adaptations including conditions under which points might be more or less heavily resharpened (i.e., Palmer-like and Kirk-like, respectively).