Cultural differences or archaeological constructs : an assessment of projectile point variability from Late Middle Prehistoric sites on the northwest Great Plains

Abstract

In Great Plains archaeology, differences in projectile point morphologies are used to define typological groups, which are subsequently inferred to reflect unique cultural groups. The goal of this project was to investigate the variability between projectile points dating to the Late Middle Prehistoric period (2,500 – 1,300 BP) since some researchers associate these cultural remains with one group (Besant phase) while others separate them into Outlook, Besant, and Sonota phases/complexes. Metric and non-metric attributes of projectile points from six single component sites, Fincastle, One-Eleven, Happy Valley, Muhlbach, Fitzgerald, and Ruby, were statistically examined. The results showed that basal attributes remain relatively constant, while blade aspects vary greatly. Since the base of a point is considered more typologically indicative than the blade, which is connected to functional aspects, it was concluded that, based on the projectile points, these represent one typological group.