Time, Typology, and Point Traditions in North Carolina Archaeology

A reconsideration of the seminal projectile point typology In the 1964 landmark publication The Formative Cultures of the Carolina Piedmont, Joffre Coe established a projectile point typology and chronology that, for the first time, allowed archaeologists to identify the relative age of a site or site deposit based upon the point types recovered from those contexts. Consistent with the cultural-historical paradigm of the day, the "Coe axiom" stipulated that only one point type was produced at any one moment in time in any particular location. Moreover, Coe identified periods of "cultural continuity" and "discontinuity" in the chronology based upon perceived similarities and differences in point styles over time. Today, Formative Cultures remains a typological touchstone, particularly for the Archaic period, across the eastern United States. In Time, Typology, and Point Traditions in North Carolina Archaeology: Formative Cultures Reconsidered I. Randolph Daniel Jr., reevaluates the Coe typology and sequence analyzing its strength and weaknesses. Daniel reviews the history of the projectile point type concept in the Southeast and revisits the Coe axiom along with Coe's notions regarding cultural continuity and change based upon point types. Daniel updates Coe's typology by clarifying or revising existing types and including types not previously recognized in Coe's monograph. Moreover, Daniel adopts a practice-centered approach to interpreting types organizing them into several technological traditions that trace ancestral-descendent communities of practice that are subsequently related to our current understanding of North Carolina prehistory. Typological descriptions are accompanied by ample illustrations. Given the mutual interests that professional and avocational archaeologists share in chipped stone tools, this book will hold appeal for both groups. Not just a "point book," Daniel discusses the ethical issues related to the use of private artifact collections by professional archaeologists and calls for greater collaboration between professional and avocational communities, benefiting both groups as some private collections do have scientific value.