Bare Island: all quartzite.
Type Square Late-Archaic
Defining Attributes
The Bare Island is a medium to large, finely flaked, symmetrical point, with a slender isosceles triangular blade and a straight base. The stem is straight with parallel sides.
Chronology
The Bare Island point dates to the Late Archaic period, 2500 to 1600 BCE. McAvoy (1997) places the point (no radiocarbon dates) along the Nottoway River between 2300 to 2000 BCE
Description
Discussion
Kinsey (in Ritchie 1971) notes that the similarities between the Bare Island point and a component of the Accokeek Creek site on the lower Potomac River are striking. According to Kinsey, it may be that the antecedent for this type lies in the Virginia and Carolina Piedmont and the Savannah River in Georgia. Bare Island points (straight stem) have been described as closely related to the Clagett point type (constricted stem) and as a narrow variant of the Savannah River point type.
Defined in Literature
Kinsey originally defined this type in 1959 based on points recovered from the Kent-Hally Site on Bare Island in Pennsylvania. His description of this type was re-published by Ritchie in 1961 (revised 1971). Stephenson (1963) also discusses this point type based on points recovered from the Accokeek Creek Site in Maryland.
References
Updated: July 23, 2018