Would someone mind taking a look at some arrowheads?

[jorcutt23]

Hi all,

I'm new here, and I really signed up because it seems like everybody's quite knowledgeable about ID'ing arrowheads here. I have a collection of projectile points and a small lithic blade from Seymour, CT that my grandfather found in the 1950s. Is there anybody around here that can tell me a little more about them and maybe even give me a rough appraisal? (As an aside, I don't want an appraisal to sell the pieces -- they mean to much to me sentimentally. but if anything seems extraordinary I might like to get an official appraisal for insurance purposes.) If so I can upload some pics.

Also, I'm a student of history (as well as anthropology and archaeology) so this is all very cool to me. I've done some arrowhead hunting myself but haven't had any luck. Anybody know of some good spots in the CT River Valley?

Thanks in advance!

[cgode]

Welcome to the forum jorcutt23, we'll need to see some pictures if you want some opinions. I too am in Conn. so hopefully will be familiar enough with our local types to give you an idea.

[Indianasmith]

You post the pics and you will get lots of comments!

[jorcutt23]

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

[jorcutt23]

The first two are of the same biface, and I love the coloring on number 6 with the lighter inclusions going through it diagonally. Any comments would be appreciated, thanks!

[cgode]

Cool Conn. finds......here's my take......
1 & 2. Guilford point.....archacic time period......around 5000 years BP (before present)
3. Brewerton side notch....late archaic.....3500 - 5000 years BP
4. I don't know but it's cool!
5. Fox Creek...early archaic......6000- 8000 years BP
6.Broken Levanna.......woodland to mississippian time......600 to 1300 years BP
7.Squibnocket triangle....archaic
8. Possibly antother Brewerton
9. Wading River point

Hope that helps, I am by no means an expert!!

[jorcutt23]

Wow -- fantastic reply. I knew that the people here were knowledgeable, but I'm impressed at just how fast you were able to get such great info, thanks! The only one I have a question on is the first -- I certainly don't mean to question your judgment seeing as you clearly know a lot about these points, but I wonder if my picture is deceiving as far as scale. It measures 6 1/3" x 2 7/8", which seems too big to be a proj. point to my rather untrained eye. I was thinking it was a knife of some sort. Let me know if having the dimensions gives you an idea or whether you still think the Guilford classification makes sense. But thanks again for the info -- it's much appreciated!

[cgode]

Don't worry about questioning my judgement jorcutt23, that's how we all learn my friend! Your absolutely correct, that is wayyyy too big for a Guilford....my mistsake! I as well, would call it a knife now looking at the battery you provided for scale....I guess I jumped that gun huh? Do you have any idea what material it's made from?.....looks like a quartzite but pics and lighting can be deceiving.
As a side note talking lithics.....quartz is a locally found material but teh materials seen with pics 3,4 and 6....and possibly #5 are exotics to this area, probably imported from SouthEastern NY State through a very active trading system that transported lithics around various parts of the country.....kinda cool if ya ask me!

[jorcutt23]

You know, I had always wondered where the chert (assuming it was chert in the stones you mentioned) came from. I see quartz in abundance around here but have never found a chunk of chert lying on the ground, so that makes sense and adds some cool history to it!

Now I'm no geologist, but this is what I can tell you about the material the biface is made from: the texture is something like chert (in fact it may be chert), but also looks/feels like the limestone/shale you'll find in NY's Mohawk valley. It has very small inclusions of quartz and something darker (inclusions are the size of individual grains of sand or thereabouts) and it appears to have been fired (see upper-right corner of pic #2). I wish I could give better/more detailed info about it, but hopefully that's enough to at least rule a few things out.

**And the inclusions are relatively sparse. It's not a sandstone texture, much finer grain.

[Panola]

good post and cgode DOES know his stuff or that region's artifacts . He's just being modest-----not like him, he must be sick---------