Prehistoric Stone Artifacts from the Edward Abbott Farm
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| Prehistoric Stone Artifacts. The caption reads, "Indian Arrow Points found by Howard H. Abbott on the Edward Abbott Farm, Mt. Lebanon, PA, in 1900. These arrow points were presented to Charles and Howard Page by your Grandpa. Howard Abbott (1966)." Charles Page Collection. Click on any of the projectile points for a larger view and for more information. Click on Howard's message in the photograph to alternate between viewing the projectile points with numbered labels and viewing the plaque as Howard created it. This archaeological site is registered with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission as site number 36AL523 in its Pennsylvania Archaeaological Site Survey. |
Two archaeologists briefly reviewed these stone points and tentatively identified them. Click on any of the projectile points above to read these tentative identifications. These projectile points are spear points, not arrowheads. Archaic and Woodland period spear points were usually not used on stabbing spears (lances), but on throwing spears launched from a spear thrower, also known by its Aztec name, atlatl2. Spear throwers are sticks, made of wood or antler, between one and three feet long with a hook on one end and a handle on the other. The butt of the wooden spear shaft fits into the hook. The atlatl is held horizontally with the hook-end facing back over the shoulder and the spear shaft lying on the atlatl. The thrower swings the atlatl over his head like a fly fisherman casts a line, releasing the spear. The atlatl extends the effective length of the thrower's arm. This and other engineering factors enable a spear thrower to achieve a range of 200 yards -- as long as a bow and arrow. The bow and arrow replaced the atlatl, not because of its range, but because it was easier to learn to use and because it did not require as much movement and so is less likely to startle prey3.
A geologist examined the stone points and determined that they are all chert with the possible exception of number (10).4 Chert is very fine-grained quartz, a silicon dioxide mineral. It is generally accepted that most chert derives from volcanic sources and from marine sediments composed of the silicon skeletons of sponges and some plankton. However, one geologist believes that the chert in central Pennsylvania may derive from wind-blown sand.5 Black and dark gray chert is sometimes called flint and red chert is sometimes called jasper. According to one of the archaeologists, most of the projectile points above, including numbers (3), (14), (15), (16), (18), (23), (24), and (26), are made of Onondaga chert. Onondaga chert is originally from New York and was transported to southwestern Pennsylvania by glacial movement and by stream flow. Prehistoric people found Onondaga chert pebbles in local rivers. Projectile point number (6) is from Flint Ridge in Ohio. Native Americans in the Pittsburgh area travelled 140 miles to Flint Ridge to mine flint and they traded with others for it. Projectile point number (7) may be made of Gull Point chert, which was transported from New York by glaciers and streams. You may view overlayed distribution maps of the projectile point styles found on the Abbott farm.
See more information about the prehistoric inhabitants in the Prehistory of the Abbott Land.
Footnotes
1 Witthoft, John, Indian Prehistory of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission, 1965, p. 14.
2 Ibid, p. 14.
3 Kurt Kleiner, Atlatl - The Stone Age Kalashnikov, New Scientist, May 15, 1999, pp. 40-43.
4 Steve Hovan, Geoscience Department, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, personal communication, April 2, 2004.
5 Cecil, C. Blaine, US Geological Survey, Eolian Dust and the Origin of Devonian Cherts in the Appalachian Basin, USA, 2004, Northeastern Section (39th Annual) and Southeastern Section (53rd Annual) Joint Meeting (March 25?27, 2004) , Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, Vol. 36, No. 2, p. 118.
Projectile Points Listed by Position in Photograph
| Point Number | Projectile Type | Date Range | Cultural Period | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) | Normannskill or Brewerton Eared Notched | 6000-3000 B.C. or 2980-1723 B.C. | Middle Archaic or Late Archaic | not available or CT, DE, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VA, VT, WV |
| (2) | Normannskill or Adena Stemmed | 6000-3000 B.C. or 800-300 B.C. | Middle Archaic or Early Woodland | not available or AL, CN, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, MI, NY, OH, PA, RI, TN, WI, WV |
| (3) | Possible Snyders | 200 B.C.-200 A.D. | Middle Woodland | AR, IA, IL, IN, KY, MI, MS, NY, OH, PA, TN, WI, WV |
| (4) | Snook Kill or Kirk Stemmed | 3000-1000 B.C. or 6900-6000 B.C. | Late Archaic or Early Archaic | CT, DE, MA, MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, ON, PA, RI, VT or AL, CN, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, MI, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WV |
| (5) | Thebes | 8000-6000 B.C. | Early Archaic | IL, IN, KY, MI, MO, OH, PA, WV |
| (6) | Lowe Flared Base or Chesser Notched | 200-500 A.D. or 300-700 A.D. | Terminal Middle Woodland or Terminal Middle-Late Woodland | IL, IN, KY, MO, OH, TN or KY, MI, NY, OH, PA, WV |
| (7) | Meadowood | 1300-500 B.C. | Early Woodland | CT, DE, IL, IN, MA, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, ON, PA, RI, VT, WI |
| (8) | Lowe Flared Base | 200-500 A.D. | Terminal Middle Woodland | IL, IN, KY, MO, OH, TN |
| (9) | Possible Susquehanna Broadspear or Kirk Stemmed | 1700-1000 B.C. or 6900-6000 B.C. | Terminal Archaic or Early Archaic | not available or AL, CN, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, MI, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WV |
| (10) | Normannskill or Lowe Flared Base | 6000-3000 B.C. or 200-500 A.D. | Middle Archaic or Terminal Middle Woodland | not available or IL, IN, KY, MO, OH, TN |
| (11) | Normannskill or Steuben Stemmed | 6000-3000 B.C. or 2100-2000 B.C. | Middle Archaic or Late Archaic | not available |
| (12) | Lowe Flared Base or preform (unfinished projectile point) | 200-500 A.D. or unknown | Terminal Middle Woodland or unknown | IL, IN, KY, MO, OH, TN or unknown |
| (13) | Lowe Flared Base or preform (unfinished projectile point) | 200-500 A.D. or unknown | Terminal Middle Woodland or unknown | IL, IN, KY, MO, OH, TN or unknown |
| (14) | Jack's Reef Pentagonal | 500-1000 A.D. | Middle-Late Woodland | CT, DE, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, ON, PA, RI, TN, VA, VT, WV |
| (15) | Meadowood or Brewerton Eared Notched | 1300-500 B.C. or 2980-1723 B.C. | Early Woodland or Late Archaic | CT, DE, IL, IN, MA, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, ON, PA, RI, VT, WI or CT, DE, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VA, VT, WV |
| (16) | Bare Island | 1800-1600 B.C. | Late Archaic | not available |
| (17) | Broken, not identifiable | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| (18) | Jack's Reef Pentagonal or Brewerton Eared Notched | 500-1000 A.D. or 2980-1723 B.C. | Middle-Late Woodland or Late Archaic | CT, DE, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, ON, PA, RI, TN, VA, VT, WV or CT, DE, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VA, VT, WV |
| (19) | Jack's Reef Pentagonal or flake | 500-1000 A.D. or unknown | Middle-Late Woodland or unknown | CT, DE, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, ON, PA, RI, TN, VA, VT, WV or unknown |
| (20) | Broken, not identifiable | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| (21) | Brewerton Eared Notched | 2980-1723 B.C. | Late Archaic | CT, DE, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VA, VT, WV |
| (22) | Steubenville Lanceolate | 3000-1000 B.C. | Late Archaic | not available |
| (23) | Steubenville Lanceolate/Drill | 3000-1000 B.C. | Late Archaic | not available |
| (24) | Possibly Snook Kill | 3000-1000 B.C. | Late Archaic | CT, DE, MA, MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, ON, PA, RI, VT |
| (25) | Otter Creek | 3500-3000 B.C. | Late Archaic | not available |
| (26) | Probably a large flake | unknown | unknown | unknown |
Projectile Points Listed Chronologically
| Date Range | Projectile Type | Cultural Period | Point Numbers | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8000-6000 B.C. | Thebes | Early Archaic | (5) | IL, IN, KY, MI, MO, OH, PA, WV |
| 6900-6000 B.C. | Kirk Stemmed | Early Archaic | (4), (9) | AL, CN, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, MI, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WV |
| 6000-3000 B.C. | Normannskill | Middle Archaic | (1), (2), (10), (11) | not available |
| 3500-3000 B.C. | Otter Creek | Late Archaic | (25) | not available |
| 3000-1000 B.C. | Snook Kill | Late Archaic | (4), (24) | CT, DE, MA, MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, ON, PA, RI, VT |
| 3000-1000 B.C. | Steubenville Lanceolate/Drill | Late Archaic | (22), (23) | not available |
| 2100-2000 B.C. | Steuben Stemmed | Late Archaic | (11) | not available |
| 2980-1723 B.C. | Brewerton Eared Notched | Late Archaic | (1), (15), (18), (21) | CT, DE, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VA, VT, WV |
| 1800-1600 B.C. | Bare Island | Late Archaic | (16) | not available |
| 1700-1000 B.C. | Possible Susquehanna Broadspear | Terminal Archaic | (9) | not available |
| 1300-500 B.C. | Meadowood | Early Woodland | (7), (15) | CT, DE, IL, IN, MA, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, ON, PA, RI, VT, WI |
| 800-300 B.C. | Adena Stemmed | Early Woodland | (2) | AL, CN, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, MI, NY, OH, PA, RI, TN, WI, WV |
| 200 B.C.-200 A.D. | Snyders Corner Notched | Middle Woodland | (3) | AR, IA, IL, IN, KY, MI, MS, NY, OH, PA, TN, WI, WV |
| 200 B.C. - 500 A.D. | Lowe Flared Base | Terminal Middle Woodland | (6), (8), (10), (12), (13) | IL, IN, KY, MO, OH, TN |
| 300-700 A.D. | Chesser Notched | Terminal Middle-Late Woodland | (6) | KY, MI, NY, OH, PA, WV |
| 500-1000 A.D. | Jack's Reef Pentagonal | Middle-Late Woodland | (14), (18), (19) | CT, DE, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, ON, PA, RI, TN, VA, VT, WV |
| unknown | Not identifiable | unknown | (17), (20), (26) | unknown |