Columbia

Pictures courtesy of Paleo Enterprises

 The Columbia point was named by Ripley P. Bullen (1975) for Columbia County, Florida. Bullen’s study centered around his own research at their Terra Ceia and Crystal River sites (Bullen 1951). The Columbia is a medium to large sized knife measuring 2.5 to 5 inches in length. The long, narrow blade is developed through random flaking. The straight to slightly convex blade edges meet at an acute distal end. The cross-section is byi-convex and workmanship is generally very good. The shoulders are slight and angular. The basal tang is only slightly narrower than the blade with straight to expanding edges and a straight basal edge.

  Recoveries by Lafond (1995) from the Deptford component of the Queen Mound in Duval County dating between 500 B.C. and A.D. 100 and by Gordon Willey (1949) from a Weeden Island association in Northwest Florida illustrate the period of use for the Columbia point. John Goggin (1952) illustrated an unusual form of Columbia point with heavy serrations along the central portion of the blade edges. The example had been recovered by C. B. More from the Racy Point site in Duval County (More 1895).

Distribution of the Columbia point is centered in northern Florida. The Columbia can also be encountered in southern Georgia and southeastern Alabama (Powell 1990).