Pickin' Up the Pieces: Folsom Projectile Point Re-Sharpening Technology

Abstract

The technology to manufacture a Folsom point is very specific and has received considerable attention by archaeologists and flintknappers. The redundancy of manufacturing tasks found at each of these site types indicates that Folsom point production was an on-going, yet staged, process. As the lithic stores are consumed, the projectile points become shorter, and more points are reworked rather than discarded in an attempt to curb consumption. The combined assemblages at Cooper contain projectile points ranging from long, slender specimens representing new additions to short, stubby points indicative of several resharpening events. These measurements are offered as the minimum acceptable size of a Folsom projectile point. A resharpening technique that requires only 8.1 mm of overall length to place a usable tip on a point ensures a longer uselife for a specimen than a technique that utilizes 14.0 mm of length.

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