Finely wrought, oversized cache blades (bifaces) are the most apparent indicator of a Benton phase occupation. Cache blades resemble ordinary points in overall appearance, but are longer, wider, and thinner than the standard utilitarian artifact form. Standard lithic classification guides and lithic analysis sections of some archaeological reports group cache blades with Benton-type points because of shared cultural context and technological similarity. However, cache blades can exhibit a wide range of shapes, including point styles defined by Johnson and Brookes (1989:134) as Turkey Tails, Double Notched Turkey Tails, Double Notched Square Bases, Oversized Cache Blades, Cache Blades, Oversized Bentons, Bentons, and Tallahata points .The precise utility or significance that cache blades held for Benton peoples is difficult to assess. However, researchers believe these artifacts served primarily ceremonial rather than utilitarian functions. One piece of evidence for this differentiation includes their oversized and finely wrought appearance. As mentioned previously, cache blades are substantially longer, wider, and thinner than standard utilitarian points, and likely required much greater skill and a significant time investment to produce. In addition, cache blades lack wear patterning on their edges that occurs from use or resharpening. Other evidence for the ceremonial nature of these artifacts includes the occurrence of intentionally broken (“killed”) specimens, the inclusion of cache blades as deliberately placed burial offerings rather than as incidental fill material, and the fact that cache blades rarely appear within general midden context (Johnson and Brookes 1989;Meeks 2000). A variety of other artifacts also appear as Benton burial offerings, including gorgets, stone beads, banner stones, and ground stone artifacts(Johnson and Brookes 1989). Excerpted from: THE ENSWORTH SCHOOL SITE (40DV184):A MIDDLE ARCHAIC BENTON OCCUPATION ALONG THE HARPETH RIVER DRAINAGE IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE by Aaron Deter-Wolf Exteral link: academia.edu/609377/The_Ensworth_School_Site_40DV184_A_Middle_Archaic_Benton_Occupation_along_the_Harpeth_River_Drainage_in_Middle_Tennessee
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 01:20:29 +0000
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