Attica Chert / Indiana Green Flint

dognose

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Apr 15, 2009
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If you have Attica Chert / Indiana Green Flint relics, let's see them please.

I have a number of Attica Chert / Indiana Green Flint relics found over the years. Like many others, the lack of mold bard plowing is bringing less and less points to the surface. I don't think I have found an Attica Chert / Indiana Green Flint in a few years now.

I have found maybe 10 to 15 nicely made Attica Chert / Indiana Green Flint relics which I will pull out and post.

At some Central States Archaeological Societies shows, especially in Indiana, you will see collections of Attica Chert / Indiana Green Flint of collectors who live close to the Warren County area, and some who like the flint for the color and/or rarity.

In Tony DeRegnaucourt book "Prehistoric Cert Types of the Midwest", he states: The name Attica was proposed by Winters (1969) after a small town of that name in Warren County, Indiana, near an important outcrop of the chert. The green variety known as Indiana Green is known to outcrop near the small town of Independence in Warren County, Indiana. This type is also known to outcrop along the Wabash River and Sugar Creek, hence those names.
Prehistoric Geographical Distribution: Found all over northern and Central Indiana primarily along the Wabash, Mississinawa, and Salamonie Rivers. This chert type is also found in northeastern Ilinois, extreme southern Michigan, Western Ohio and rarely along the Ohio River in extreme northern Kentucky.
Prehistoric Utilization: Within its local outcropping, extending to about a 30-mile radius, all prehistoric periods from Paleo-Indian to Late Prehistoric are represented by Attica/Indiana Green chert. However, after travelling in over 30 miles in any direction, especially along the Wabash River, the chert is found almost exclusively in Paleo-Indian and Early Archaic context. In fact, once Attica chert cross the state lines of Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, or Kentucky, only Paleo-Indian or Early Archaic contexts are known to the complete absence of later cultures. Thus, even the debitage of this chert is very diagnostic when it reaches the farthest Distibution. For example, in Ohio all Arttica/Indiana Green chert found is early Archaic. A paleo-Indian artifact rarely is found at the extreame range. Curiously, even during the Early Archaic Period, usage varies tremendously. It is common to see MacCorkly and Kanawha points of the Bifurcated Tradition make f Attica/Indiana Green chert, but outside of the core area of the outcropping, on never sees a LeCroy or St Albans bifurecated point made of this material. The maximum range for this chert appears to be about 130 miles in radius from its outcropping in northwestern Indiana.
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This Attica Chert / Indiana Green Flint Hardin point was found in Hancock County Indiana in 2000.
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Upvote 18
That is a beautiful material. We do not have it here though I did find a green point while digging a shelter in Alabama. I do not think it is attica chert though. Nice write up.
 

I found this one on my birthday. 12/12 of ‘85. It was a cold windy day and a friend took me on a hunt.
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Two more…
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I found a good sized preform of Indy green that had several bad areas and was discarded by the Indians. I made a cab out of it. Probably the only cab of Indy green in existence. Even though there are reports that Indy green can be found in the Wabash River and Sugar Cr, they are questionable. To my knowledge, no one has ever found the source. Many have looked for it to no avail including me. The fact that all you see is paleo and early archaic points made from it tells me to source was buried at some point and no longer available to later cultures. Since no source is known, no modern knappers have made any points from it. If you see an Indy green point it’s probably real.
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Here is a dove I found in Marion County in 1990, outside of West Newton Indiana. It is 3 inches in length. Back then there was a lot of farm land. Today most of the land there is built up, swallowed by the city. The small point is made of burlington.

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Could this be Attica? It was always my dad's favorite point in one of his old frames. Off and on it had struck me as having a green hue, but it doesn't show up in pics apparently. Plus the fact they're all painted in finger nail polish. Maybe this could also be glacial till chert. I simply don't know.

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Ok let me try another. Found this piece this morning. It appears to have some green banding, and does resemble a few of the pieces shown in this thread. Any thoughts?

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2 of my sons are saying they see green. 1 of them says grey. I go back n forth. In the pics it looks more gray, but it sure looks greenish in certain lights.
 

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