PAGE 1
ETLEY POINTS
LATE ARCHAIC PERIOD
3000 TO 1000 B.C.
LOWER ILLINOIS & MISSOURI RIVER VALLEYS
1 PAGE OF 2 PAGES
COPYRIGHT OCTOBER 31, 2005 PETER A. BOSTROM

 CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGE TRIPLE IMAGE
ETLEY POINT
SCOTLAND COUNTY, MISSOURI
GLEN LEESMAN COLLECTION

     This colorful Etley point is a very good example. Most Etley points are made of white Burlington chert. This one is made of a  multi- colored light and dark blue/gray and orange piece of Burlington chert of good quality. This point is also wider than most examples. It has large corner notches on the base that form strongly barbed shoulders. The slightly recurved blade edges were finished with very nicely done pressure flaking. The blade edges near the point are steeply angled down to a very sharp point. This Etley point may have been resharpened one or more times. It measures 5 15/16 inches (15.1 cm) long.

Etley points abstract picture.

abstract
ETLEY POINTS
ILLINOIS, IOWA & MISSOURI

    This article describes and illustrates several examples of Etley points from Illinois and Missouri. They represent the largest notched point type found in this region of the country. Etley points date to the late Archaic period and were in use for well over a thousand years. They appear to have been used as knives.

    "For some reason the Etley people had a need for a lot of large blades."---2005, Alan Banks, Central States Archaeological Journal, Vol. 52 April.
    "Etley points are diagnostic of the Late Archaic Titterington phase in the lower Illinois Valley."---1987, Noel D. Justice, Stone Age Spear and Arrow Points.


CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGE TRIPLE IMAGE
ETLEY POINT
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI
 PRIVATE COLLECTION

     This is a "classic" example of a large Etley point. It has recurved blade edges, wide strongly barbed shoulders and a sharp point. This Etley point is made of white Burlington chert and measures 7 1/2 inches (19 cm) long and 7/16 inch (1.1 cm) thick.


ETLEY POINTS
LATE ARCHAIC PERIOD
ILLINOIS, IOWA & MISSOURI

     One of the most impressive point types found in the Lower Illinois and the Lower Missouri River Valleys and parts of the Mississippi Valley are the Etley points. Their most recognized feature are their large size . They are, on average, the longest notched point type found in this region of the country.

Etley point from St. Louis County, Missouri.
ETLEY POINT
 ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI
GLEN LEESMAN COLLECTION

    This is a "classic" example of an Etley point. For one thing it's larger than most Etley points. It also has strongly barbed shoulders, a straight and square stem and recurved blade edges. This point is made from a course grained tan colored piece of Burlington chert. It measures 8 1/2 inches (21.5 cm) long and 7/16 inch (1.1 cm) thick.

    Etley points date to the Late Archaic Titterington phase. Estimated dates for Etley points have been reported from several different sites. These dates range from 2000 B.C. to 550 B.C.

19 Etley points from Illinois and Missouri.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGE IMAGE
GROUP OF 19 ETLEY POINTS
ILLINOIS AND MISSOURI
17 IN GLEN LEESMAN AND 2 IN PRIVATE COLLECTIONS

   This picture shows a very good selection of 19 Etley points from Missouri and Illinois. They illustrate a wide variation of size and shape. Several have the artistic recurved blade edges. Others are more straight and parallel sided with steeply angled edges towards the point. Etley bases vary in style, from examples that have wide and strongly barbed shoulders to others with small shoulders and no barbs. Also notice the sharp points that Etleys are noted for. The most obvious variation is the differences in size. The Etley points in this picture range in size from about 4 inches to 9 inches long. All the examples illustrated here are made of Burlington chert.

   Etley points were named by Edward G. Scully after the Oettle (pronounced Etley) farm in Calhoun County, Illinois. Dr. Titterington first reported the site in 1950, possibly from verbal accounts by Walter Wadlow who was excavating burials on the Oettle farm. The difference in spelling, from Oettle to Etley, was taken from Titterington's phonetic corruption of the land owners name.


CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGE TRIPLE IMAGE
ETLEY POINT
 BOONE COUNTY, MISSOURI
GLEN LEESMAN COLLECTION

     This "classic" Etley point is a very well crafted example. It's slightly wider, thinner and more colorful that most Etley points. It also has stylish recurved blade edges, strongly barbed shoulders and a sharp point. The steeply angled blade edges near the point indicate that it may have been resharpened one or more times. This Etley point is made of multi-colored Mozarkite chert and it measures 5 5/8 inches (14.3 cm) long.

   Etley points are fairly common. Some sites have produced well over 100 points. For example, excavation of the Hayden Etley site in Chesterfield, Missouri by a team led by Joe Harl produced 172 Etley points. Another site in Cooper County, Missouri, called the Bohon site produced 200 Etley points. It was reported that 116 of them were complete examples and 84 were broken bases.

CONTINUE ON TO PAGE TWO

"REFERENCES"

1985, Perino, Gregory, "Etley," Selected Preforms, points and Knives of the North American Indians, p.127.
1987, Justice, Noel D., "Etley Cluster," Stone Age Spear and Arrow Points of the Midcontinental and Eastern United States, pp. 146-149.
2005, Banks, Alan, "Some Information on the Etley," Central States Archaeological Journal, Vol. 52 April, pp. 90-98.
Personal communications with Glen Leesman.

RECENT LISTINGS HOME    ORDERING