Quartz arrowhead?

[jrdewhirst]

I found this today on the RI shore, maybe 10' from high water line. 1st pic, with presumed point down, gives good overall view. It seems that flakes were removed from all edges. 2nd pic, from rear, shows thinness, straightness, and symmetry of the point; rear seems deliberately and symmetrically thinned and shaped. 3rd pic shows close-up of rear; it seems that a series of flakes were removed.

An arrowhead or (as with my last two finds) just a nice rock?

[Von]

Looks like a triangle arrowhead to me! It’s kind of rough but I think it’s an arrowhead.

Von

[oldrocks2]

Looks like a point. Quartz is so dang hard to work but it looks like flake scars in the 1st photo and the base looks like it has been nibbled on. I'd say you found an arrowhead.

You might check this post out by Emaner377 He found a levanna quartz point that has a simaler look.

[jrdewhirst]

Thanks to both!

[SurfaceHunter]

Triangle point looks like a nice one. I don’t find many made from quartz

[jrdewhirst]

I'm completely new at this but I think there's a real dearth of good material around here. But there is quartz.

[Emaner377]

Its definitely a triangle just water worn and all 3 points are worn...its a great find!

[redrocks]

Yes cool worn trangle....nice

[jrdewhirst]

http://www.projectilepoints.net/Points/Squibnocket%20Triangle.html

After making a complete novice's best effort, I think this is the best match to what I found -- the Squibnocket Triangle.

Note the pictures lower left, which look very similar.

Nearby locations mentioned include Martha's Vineyard MA, 40 miles south by sea, and Freetown MA, 17 miles north by land.

[oldrocks2]

looks pretty close.

[CMD]

It's not impossible for it to be a Squibnocket Triangle, but not the best match, either. It could be a water worn Beekman Triangle, or a small Levanna. Few Squibnockets will lack a concave base. If you plan on being serious about collecting in this region, you will find this to be the best guidebook by far, easily worth every cent.

https://forums.arrowheads.com/forum/general-discussion-gc5/suggested-reading-gc146/374169-jeff-boudreau-s-book-is-back

Their website is back up. It mentions 12,000 life size points illustrated. That should read 1200. There is no better point typology guide for southern New England:

https://www.shop.massarchaeology.org/product.sc?productId=51&categoryId=1

[jrdewhirst]

What I meant was: What materials should I expect to see used? And maybe, where do they come from? It wasn't a question about this point specifically. If you're recommending that I focus 100% on quartz, which is relatively easy to see, then that simplifies things. I've seen discussion of other materials, such as argillite. I assume that Native Americans in RI traded to acquire some suitable materials, so I imagine that artifacts won't be limited to materials locally available.

[CMD]

Well, Boudreau's book has a section on our regional lithics. The two most common lithics in our region of SE New England are quartz and argillite. The argillite was sourced in the East Bay Area of RI, and there was a different grade of argillite sourced in Ma. as well. Once the Small Stem industry took off, most quartz points of those Small Stem styles were products of a quartz pebble industry, not quarried quartz. Other lithics commonly used in our area include quartzite and a great variety of rhyolites. Most chert found will have originated in the Hudson Valley of NY., so you will find Onondaga and Normanskill chert locally, if you're lucky. We all love to find the exotic cherts. Jasper was also used. Most jasper originated in Pa., but there was an important RI source of jasper in the Limerock region of NE RI. That prehistoric RI jasper source was first discovered in the 90's. It is very difficult to distinguish RI jasper from Pa jasper by visual inspection alone.

[jrdewhirst]

perfect, thanks

[jrdewhirst]

I hope not to be a PIA, but I have a follow-up question about knapping technique.

Looking at this point, it seems that the edges were formed by taking two flakes (labeled 1 & 2) from one side, then a third flake between those two on the other side. Is that typical?

On the other hand, the base seems to have been worked by taking 3-4 smaller flakes from each side.

[SurfaceHunter]

All it takes is one to get the hobby started. I found my 1st and gave it to a friend. He made over like it was the best thing he had ever seen. I wanted it back after that but instead started looking for another and then it began. Hope to see many more in the future

[clambellies]

It's definately an arrowhead but is one of the most water worn quartz points that I've seen. Hard to determine anything about the flaking technique as worn as it is. I believe it is a Beekman triangle.

[clambellies]

It would be interesting to know the journey that an arrowhead went on after being lost. Some are in the surf zone for hundreds if not thousands of years. At some point they might be locked into deep sand & gravel and they don't get much wear at all. One big storm might uncover them and send them on a roller coaster of wear. Check out the point that Emaner377 posted. Sharp & crisp. That point was protected for a long time, uncovered, then found fairly recently after being exposed.

[jrdewhirst]

Yeah, we'll never know the journey. Hurricane Sandy raised water above the normal high tide line, causing some erosion of the shoreline. It seems likely that points buried in loam near the shoreline may have been uncovered and swept into the surf. That's my most likely scenario for this point, but admittedly it is a complete guess.

[CMD]

One might also keep in mind that it took many thousands of years for Narragansett Bay to form at the end of the ice age. It is basically a drowned river valley, so there are many prehistoric sites located under the bay. This is why our quahoggers bring up artifacts in their bullrakes. The further back in time, the further out the shores of our bay extended.

[Emaner377]

Surf finds are gonna be more water worn then if dug up..I've found really smoothed out points then some fairly sharp ones..I think the surf and erosion brings up the ones deeper in the sand sometimes.
i have one i found razor sharp i found in the salt water at an inlet..it had to be burried for hundreds of years to be that sharp..guess i got lucky on the timing!
Here is a pic of that point

[SDhunter]

Nice triangle.