Benton

Benton Broad Stemmed

Name: The type was named by Madeline Kneberg for examples from the Eva site in Benton County, Tennessee.

Age: Benton points were reported to have an Early Archaic association at the Eva site in Tennessee, but later recoveries at several Alabama sites indicated a strong Middle Archaic association dating between 6000 and 4000 BP.

Description: The Benton is a medium to large point measuring from 2.75 to over 4 inches in length. The blade is triangular with a lenticular to flattened cross-section. Flaking is often broad and shallow with occasional oblique flaking as shown in the Bartow County example (figure 1) above. The stem is straight to slightly expanding. Examples with straight stems and slight shoulders (examples 3 & 4) have been named Benton Broad Stemmed.  Beveling along the stem edges may cause the hafting area to appear incurvate along the stem edges. Shoulders are square to angular and may appear barbed.

Distribution: Benton points can be found from Northwest Georgia to perhaps the Fall Line.

Information for this article was derived from James W. Cambron and David C. Hulse, Handbook of Alabama Archaeology, Alabama Archaeological Society