Paint Rock Valley

NAME: James Cambron named this point type from examples found on sites in the Paint Rock River Valley in Jackson County, Alabama.Examples were also recovered from Cambron site 48 in Lincoln County, Tennessee.

AGE: At the University of Alabama site Ms201 in Marshall County, Alabama, two examples were recovered from level 11 and one from level 9; levels that also produced Cumberland, Quad, Dalton, Wheeler and Big Sandy I points.One example was also recovered from burial 8 at the Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter in association with Morrow Mountain, Crawford Creek, White Springs and possibly Eva points. These associations suggest an Early Archaic to transitional Paleo context for the Paint Rock Valley type.  The absence of basal smoothing may indicate that this type is slightly later than the Jeff point.

DESCRIPTION: The Paint Rock Valley is a medium-sized, broad triangular point with incurvate base and excurvate blade edges.Fourteen examples from the Cambron site 48 averaged 46mm in length and 28mm in width.The blade is developed with broad, sometimes deep random flaking.Long secondary flaking with fine retouch flaking was used to finish the blade.The distal end is usually acute, but may be broad.The hafting area consists of an indeterminate basal portion of the blade that is usually slightly contracted.The base is usually incurvate, rarely straight, and may be thinned to appear almost fluted or beveled.Short flakes struck from the basal edge often resulted in a beveling of the basal edge.

DISTRIBUTION: Paint Rock Valley points are known from eastern Tennessee and northern Alabama.