Beveling.

[bsit1361]

Where I hunt we have a lot of eastern stemmed points. Bare island newmanstown poplar island patuxant etc... These points range from 5000 no to about 1500 bc. Most I pick up have normal blade edges on them even with resharping. Every once in a while ill grab one with a beveled edge like yesterday. Am I correct in saying that this style of point would fall in the early years of this type? Also a lot of the points I'm finding have come from water and that makes it harder to tell it they have any grinding due to years of tumbling down stream.

 

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[bsit1361]

That's supposed to say 5000 bp to 1500 bp. Sorry auto spell.

 

[rock]

All the quartz points I have found have been Archaic period and the tools the same or earlier. Those all look nice

 

[larson1951]

nice
it looks like that material must have been extremely difficult to knapp.........is it?
i can't ever remember finding any points made from that

 

[bsit1361]

Quartz and quartzite are extremely hard to knap in my opinion. I don't even use copper or antler on it. Mostly just rock. I stay away from it unless I'm feeling like a challenge. Like I said some of these are dead straight edges. Others have a nice twist bevel. What made them resharpen differently.

 

[rock]

I dont know how they got them so nice. I knocked 2 rocks together yesterday to try it just for fun. The hammer stone I picked was a type of quartz but it broke against a piece of raw flint. And it was hard on my hands. The fun was over and I got the feel of it, I used a hammer after that......lol

 

[GatorBoy]

This is just a guess.. but I'm thinking something being used as a knife rather than a projectile might become bevelled from sharpening... using the previous edge as a platform.

 

[GatorBoy]

I dont know how they got them so nice. I knocked 2 rocks together yesterday to try it just for fun. The hammer stone I picked was a type of quartz but it broke against a piece of raw flint. And it was hard on my hands. The fun was over and I got the feel of it, I used a hammer after that......lol

Flint is much more dense then quartz. You would need to use the Flint as the hammer stone.

 

[bsit1361]

Most of my hammer stones are hardstone type rock. I have a nice one shaped like a bopper that works great.

 

[theviking]

Interesting subject, bsit1361. There is a great thread over on Arrowheadology about this very subject. It is the thought of the original poster that the steep resharpening technique, or beveling, was done to resharpen the point without thinning it across the entire width, and therefore weakening it. It would also appear as though age is not a factor as he has a few examples that are around 10,000 years apart in age. Hope this helps.


Beveling Universality…

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Can you show a view looking straight at the tip of the Point? I can't see any beveling in your pictures.

Beveling was the result of resharpening the blade edges and was primarily an early Archaic trait though you do see it on some later pieces.

Here's a couple examples that show extreme beveling. The first one is a Thebes from Ohio and the second is a Bolen from south Georgia.

 

[GatorBoy]

I'm sorry to post my photos all over your thread but I think this is relevant. I have a much more recent example of beveling that is from an obvious arrowpoint. I'm thinking it's just a re sharpening style. This happens to be the first point I ever found.

 

[bsit1361]

It's hard to see in quartz but pics 1,2 and 3 all have that bevel twist. These are pics from
My library. I've been in the process of moving for months but its been hard to sell my house. Everything's packed up for now and I haven't seen most of my collection in 3 months. It's driving me crazy. Told my wife if it doesn't sell soon I'm going to get them.

 

[Tnmountains]

Look at an edgefield scraper from south Ga. Thay are made with that beveling. Like Steve said you see it on early points. My thought is this. It is almost always on the left side. Is that because man is predominately right handed? It is not the beveling that fascinates me but why it is on the side it is. I have seen it on both sides,.It is common around Kolomoki items.

 

[rock]

I got one also. Thought was a big sandy but after looking at Steves Thebes I am having second thoughts. The wings are anciently clipped and resharpened.

 

[Tnmountains]

Any thoughts as to why which side the beveling is on?

 

[rock]

The only thing and I have never knapped so it would only be a guess is that they flaked it with the tip facing them instead of away. Mine has the same style flaking only on each side and it is very different from any other point I have. I would think with that type of beveling the arrow would go faster through the air when shot. Maybe even twist like a drill while in flight. Just a guess also it looks like it was ground and then secondary flaking was added after. I am looking at it rite now.

 

[Tnmountains]

You mean like a left or right helical twist on fletchings? I think they are knifes mostly. Bsit you knapp right?

 

[rock]

I thought it was a point but I dont know what period it came from. So you think knife or maybe spear point then?

 

[rock]

You mean like a left or right helical twist on fletchings? I think they are knifes mostly. Bsit you knapp right?

I had to make a quick exit and read a bit. lol, I saw where these were thought to be early archaic to middle archaic period. They did say knifes but also projectile points and is was thought to be reworked all the way to a scraper.