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CACHE OF FLUTED POINTS
LAMB SITE
GENESEE COUNTY, NEW YORK
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COPYRIGHT
AUGUST
31, 2012 PETER A. BOSTROM
This picture shows all ten of the large fluted points that were
found in the cluster C cache area on the Lamb site. The five
examples in the top row are the original points and four of the five at the bottom are casts
of the original points. The lower broken base is from a black &
white photo of the original point. All of the Lamb site fluted points are
broken and fragmented from years
of contact with agricultural equipment. For example, the basal fragment
and the tip-section of the point at bottom right are reported to
have been found 15 meters apart.
Eight of the fluted points in this cache are described as
fluted projectile points. Two of the points in the cache are
described as fluted knives. The large point at top center has been
identified as a fluted knife from use wear that was observed on both
faces near the hafting area and near the tip. The polished areas are
in the form of heavy silica phytolith sheen caused from cutting
plant fibers. The other point that is described as a fluted knife is
second from right bottom row.
Most of the fluted points in the Lamb cache were made from
Ohio or Indiana cherts from the Pennsylvania geological formation.
The point at top right is made of Vanport chert from the Flint
Ridge, Ohio source. The widest point, at top center, is made from
Indiana hornstone. The point at top left is made of a dark brown
semi-translucent chert that is heavily patinated white. It's been
visually identified as Knife River from North Dakota but further
technical analysis may change this assessment. If it could be
scientifically proven to be Knife River it would be the farthest
recorded distance that a Clovis artifact was anciently transported.
Although, the source for Knife River is North Dakota, pieces have
been reported from gravels in the Missouri River.
The longest point in the cache, at bottom row right side,
measures 5 1/2 inches (14 cm) long. The widest point at top center
measures 5 1/4 inches (13.4 cm) long and 1 3/4 inches (4.5 cm) wide.
The point in the first row and second from the
right has the longest channel flakes. One measures 2 1/8 inches (5.3
cm) long and the other side measures 2 inches (5.1 cm) long.
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