Quartzite knife

[Bill]

Ron, I was answering the question of how does one know if something is old or not without context.
The answer is, certain point types that have been found in context during controlled excavations of habitation sites are always found with tool types and other artifacts (either flake knives of in this case Ovate Knives).
Then no GPS is necesary when a certain artifact is found, even out of context, some one can make the guess that it must have come a certain time period.
And that's cool.

[Bill]

Well Butch, people do win the lottery all the time (ha ha)!
Identifying a certain type of artifact as being early or late is not luck or chance but it us about experience and knowledge.
The late, GREAT Greg Perino did this all the time and it was his vast store of knowledge that made him very good at it.

[Butch Wilson]

Bill what about this one. Makes it appear as paleo ! Is it the shape, the thickness the flaking . Help to educate us !

[CMD]

Unless found in context, in southern New England(which I realize is not Montana)a blade like that would probably be classified as a leaf knife or leaf blade. The illustration here is from Wm. Fowler's original typology from the 50''s. In the recent New England artifact guides they are regarded as Late Archaic-Middle Woodland in age range. By shape and out of context I don't know how one determines the blade in the thread is Paleo rather then later. Ovoid, leaf, who restricted these types of blades to Paleo?

Here's a personal find leaf blade, but it's the bipointed type...

[Bill]

Butch and CMD I never said assigning a time period to individual Indian artifacts is an exact science.
In my previous post I identified the importance of having the knowledge of which artifacts belong to which time periods and projectile points. In other words, certain artifacts belong with certain projectile point types.
When it comes to guessing which artifacts belong to which time periods, the best guesses depend upon having seen projectile points and their accompanying assembladges. I even identified the late GREAT Greg Perino as one of the best.
Most experienced collectors rely upon their expertise of the artifacts in the local areas in which they collect. They become pretty good at guessing the ages of their artifacts and tools they find.
Oh and by the way, Ovate blades are usually found (but not always!) with early assembladges.

[Bill]

Hi Butch, I am sorry. I misread your post earlier.
In our area, Paleoindian and very Early Archaic artifacts of all kinds are pretty easy to spot. In North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Tennessee, and Alabama there is some blending between Paleoindian and very Early Archaic Artifacts.
At the Clovis hill top site at the Topper site in Allendale, SC, Clovis preforms have been found in association with true blades and microblades, flake tools end scrapers. It is interesting that Clovis associated end scrapers are different from very Early Archaic associated end scrapers.   
I believe the coolest thing I know about are the Hardaway period engraved stones.
I'll post some pictures of some end scrapers that have been found in association with Clovis. I didn't find these in association with Clovis but Dr. Al Goodyear identified them as identical to the ones that have been found in association with Clovis.
I will also post some pictures of end scrapers, side scrapers, adzes, and true blades I found that are normally found with Early Archaic points and sites in our area.

[kreative]

Posted by [Mainejman]:

nice find tuna.I lived in Billings for 13 years.Sadly i was to busy fishing the Bighorn and hunting to even think about artifacts.Believe you me im now kicking myself.That yellowstone river has to be full of stuff.It and the missouri being the two main west to east running rivers.And the yellowstone an easier route definetly loaded with articfacts

[Tuna]

Thanks Mainejman.  Fishing the Bighorn and hunting weren't too bad of substitutes for artifact hunting though.  I'm pretty new to the artifact hunting.  Well I should say I've been looking for years but finally founds some artifacts a couple years ago and now it seems like it might be getting a little easier to find. 
A friend of mine was canoeing down the Missouri a couple years ago through the White Cliffs area.  He found a perfect point laying in a sand bar.  He set the point down and his dog got it and bit down on it and broke it.  He was unable to find one of the pieces.  What a bummer and it was his first point ever.