Clarifying Late Archaic, Basketmaker, and Pueblo I Project Point Types at Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

Summary

Late Archaic, Basketmaker, and Pueblo I time period projectile point types are problematic in the greater Southwest because many exhibit considerable morphological overlap. The sizable collections from Petrified Forest National Park represent an excellent test case where all of these time periods are well represented. To characterize their considerable morphological range we analyze over 80 projectile points from cross dated surface finds and the excavated sites of the Basketmaker-era Flattop site (AZ Q:1:2) and the Twin Buttes Pueblo I site (AZ Q:1:3). Utilizing both qualitative and quantitative techniques we develop a local typology that will be useful to archaeologists studying technological transitions between ca. 2000 BC. and AD 900. Our results offer an additional chronological diagnostic tool for archaeologists in PEFO and surrounding areas, which can be cross-referenced against ceramic types and used to better date sites lacking ceramics.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Recent Archaeological Research in Petrified Forest National Park

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