A SYNTHESIS OF PROJECTILE POINT CHARACTERISTICS AND DISTRIBUTION ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE IN THE LOWER TOMBIGBEE RIVER BASIN, ALABAMA

Abstract

This thesis examined projectile point characteristics from selected archaeological sites in the Lower Tombigbee River Basin in Choctaw and Washington counties, Alabama. The distribution of temporally diagnostic projectile points was examined to address landscape use during the Paleoindian through Late Woodland periods. The projectile point analysis focused on size and shape characteristics, lithic raw material type, thermal alteration, and evidence of damage, resharpening, and reuse. This data was compared to the morphometric attributes of projectile point types established in relevant peer-reviewed sources (. The spatial analysis considered the environmental setting of each site, including the specific creek drainage watershed and other hydrological data, topography, lithic resource availability, and other characteristics associated with site selection. The resulting data was applied to current models on Native American settlement and land use and to theories on technological organization and lithic tool manufacture, to assess the relationship between projectile point variability, site distribution, and settlement patterns in the Lower Tombigbee River Basin. This research adds to the archaeological record and fills gaps in understanding the early Native American presence in southwestern Alabama and the Lower Tombigbee River Basin.