Halifax: quartz, quartzite, tuff, quartzite, quartz, chert, quartzite.
Type Side Notched Middle-Archaic
Defining Attributes
The Halifax point has a slender blade with a slightly restricted base. The base and side notches are usually ground.
Chronology
The Halifax point dates to the Middle Archaic period, 3500 to 2800 BCE. Coe (1964) radiocarbon dated the point to 3480 BCE at the Gaston site, North Carolina. McAvoy (1997) dated the point along the Nottoway River, Virginia from numerous hearth and pit features to 3500 to 2850 BCE.
Description
Discussion
Coe (1964) notes that the Halifax point type is relatively common in eastern North Carolina and Virginia; distribution is greater north and east of the Roanoke River Basin. The Halifax point is commonly made from quartz and is ubiquitous across the Piedmont and Coastal Plain of Virginia.
Defined in Literature
Coe (1964) originally defined the type based on points recovered from the Gaston Site in the Piedmont of North Carolina.
References
Updated: July 23, 2018