Tampa

The Tampa point was first identified by Ripley P. Bullen (1950) for examples from the Tampa Bay and North central Florida areas. The Tampa point is a small tear-drop or leaf-shaped lanceolate point measuring 1 to 1.75 inches in length and .5 to .75 inches in width. The distal and is acute to acuminate. The basal edge is rounded and the cross-section is typically thick. Flaking is random and workmanship is usually poor. The examples from the Parish Mound site are exceptional.

The examples from the McKeithen site may be the earliest forms of the Tampa point. The examples date to the heaviest years of site occupation between A.D. 350 and 475. Recoveries of Tampa points at the Fox Pond site (Milanich 1971) in Alachua County indicate their association with the Alachua and Hickory pond culture. Gordon Willey’s report (1949) of four Tampa points from the safety Harbor period Parish mound 1 illustrates their association with Tampa Bay area cultures. John Powell (1990) reported one Tampa point made of leaded bottle glass from eastern Florida. A recovery from a colonial association indicates their span of use from between A.D. 300 to 1700.

The predominant area of distribution tends to be the Tampa Bay region in association with Safety Harbor sites. Their appearance in the Alachua sites of north-central Florida seemed to be limited. Tampa-like points have also been recovered in northeastern Florida at the Dent Mound, level I, as well as the glass example noted above.