Thonotosassa

a. Paleo Enterprises b. Lloyd Schroder Collection

Thonotosassa points were first reported by Lyman O. Warren (1971) at the Fletcher/Davis site. They were named by Ripley P. Bullen (1975) for Lake Thonotosassa in Hillsborough County, Florida.

The Thonotosassa is distinguished by its large size measuring from 4.5 to 6 inches in length. The blade is developed by random flaking creating a thick by-convex cross-section. Some examples display a median ridge down one face. These have been referred to as “Palm River” points (Gray 1975), however this characteristic does not seem consistent enough to warrant a separate type designation. The convex blade edges often lack the usual pressure retouching typical of most point types. Careful pressure flaking is evident along the edges of the acute distal and. This characteristic may indicate that the Thonotosassa was primarily a thrusting point rather than a slicing blade. The shoulders are poorly formed and taper to a basal tang only slightly narrower than the blade. The tang edges are straight to tapering and the basal edge may be flat, convex, concave, or pointed.

Thonotosassa points have been recovered in association with both early and middle archaic point types. Their association with Kirk Serrated points at the Buddy Lake site near Tampa Bay, Florida may indicate an Early Archaic association, although Kirk Serrated points were also associated with Middle Archaic points at the Johnson Lake site in Marion County, Florida ( Bolan and Doran 1959). At the Fletcher/Davis site they were found in association with point types usually associated with both the Early and Middle Archaic periods (Warren 1971). Several sites in Marion County, Florida contained Thonotosassa points in a disturbed context with Marion, Levy and Newnan points (Bartlett 1964). In Hillsborough County, Florida where Thonotosassa points are typically found, they have been recovered with Coker Knives, Hardee and Cypress Creek points. These associations indicate an endurance through both Early and Middle Archaic periods dating from 8500 to 5000 years ago.

Thonotosassa points are typically found in and around Hillsborough County, Florida. Examples have also been recovered on occasion from Marion County to as far east as Clay County, Florida.