THE HESTER SITE Archaeological Report No. 5 THE HESTER SITE fu,j EARLY ARCHAIC OcCUPATION IN MoNROE CoUNTY} MISSISSIPPI I. A PRELIMINARY REpORT SAMUEL O. BROOKES Mississippi Department of Archives and History . Elbert R. Hilliard, Director Jackson 1979 CONTENTS List of Plates . vi List of Figures viii List of Tables . x Preface . . . • xi Acknowledgements xiii l. Introduction 2. Ceramic Analysis 3. Lithic Analysis: Basic Technology and Non- Projectile-Point Tool Types . • . . • . . 6 4. Lithic Analysis: Dalton Assemblage . . . . 17 5. Lithic Analysis: Non-Dalton Projectile-Point Types 32 6. Theoretical Considerations • • • • • . • . . 45 Plates, Figures, and Tables . • • • 58 Appendix 1: Heat Treating . . . • • 125 Appendix 2: Radiocarbon Dates • . . • • • ••••• 127 Appendix 3: A Research Design for the Hester Site 130 Bibliography . . • • • • • • • • • • • • • 132 PLATES 1. Transitional Archaic-Woodland and Miller I Ceramics: Wheeler Plain, Wheeler Simple-stamped, Alexander Incised, Alexander Pinched, Saltillo Fabric-impressed 59 2. Miller II Ceramics: Baldwin Plain, Furrs Cord-marked 60 3. Miller III Ceramics: Tishomingo Plain, Tishomingo Cord-marked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . 61 4. Miller IV Ceramics: Roper Plain, Wheeler Check-stamped, Mulberry Creek Cord-marked . . . . . . . . . • • • • •• 62 5. Miscellaneous Artifacts: piece esquillee, anvil marked by .Ei-ece esquillee, "shuttle" bannerstone fragment, bifaces with crenated fractures, biface with lateral snap . . •• 63 6. Inmon Cache: in situ, primary and secondary decortication flakes, bifaces • . • . . . . • . . . • • . • . • • . . 64 7. Inmon Cache Flakes: primary and secondary decortication flakes . • .• ••..•......•••..••.• 65 8. Dalton Assemblage Points • . . . . . • • • • . . . •• 66 9. Dalton Assemblage Artifacts: side and end scrapers, knife, preform .•.....•.... 67 0 • • • • • • • • • • •• 10. Dalton Assemblage Artifacts: quartzite hammerstone, side scraper/spokeshave, pieces esquillees, multidirectional core, tabular flake, biface, side scraper, blade. • 68 11. Dalton Assemblage Artifacts: side scraper, bladelike flakes, gravers, burins, end scrapers/gravers, side scraper/spokeshave, piece esquillee . . . . . . . . • .. 69 12. Dalton Assemblage Artifacts: unworked cobble, side scraper, bifaces. preforms . . • . . • . . . . . . . . • • . • •. 70 13. Dalton Assemblage Artifacts: sandstone nutstone, sandstone abrader, unworked sandstone . • . . • . . .. 71 14. Big Sandy Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . 72 15. Decatur Points: initial and final stages . . • • 73 16. Projectile Points: Josselyn and Beachum (provisional types) 74 17. Projectile Points: Beachum (provisional type); Decatur, Ecusta, and Big Sandy end scrapers; unidentified points. 75 18. Pine Tree Projectile Points: initial and advanced stages, end scraper . . . . .. ....•.•..•.•..• 76 vi vii 19. Pine Tree Projectile Points with Edge Wear: edges of initial- and advanced-stage points, edge with broken serrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . • • . 77 20. Pine Tree Assemblage Tools: broken bifaces, adze, tabular flakes, bladelike flakes with worked edges, piece esquillee, notched side scraper . • . • . . . . . . . • • • . 78 21. Pine Tree Assemblage tools: sandstone abraders, grooved stone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 22. Miscellaneous Projectile Points: Jude, Autauga, Lost Lake, Plevna, Greenbrier, Eva II-Morrow Mountain I, Madison.. 80 FIGURES 1. Contour Map of Hester Site . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 2. Physiographic Regions of Mississippi . . • . . . . 82 3. Early Archaic Sites in Southeastern United States 83 4. Chronology for Lower Mississippi and Tombigbee Valleys 84 5. Tentative Ceramic Chronology for Upper-Central Tombigbee Valley . • . .. •..•.•• 85 6. Paleo-Environmental Sequence for Southeastern United States .... 86 7. North-South Profile, Square 75S-35S 87 8. North-South Profile, Square 35S-5N . • 88 9. North-South Profile, Square 5N-45N . 89 10. North-South Profile, Square 45N-75N 90 11. Horizontal Plan and East-West Profile, Square l70S-l45E • • • . • . • . . . 91 12. North-South Profile, Square l70S-320E . • • • • 92 13. North-South Profile, Square 85S-l50E . • 93 14. Flake Morphology . • . • . . • • • 94 15. Utilized Flakes and Pieces Esquillees: transverse, lateral, and oblique-transverse uses; denticulate; unusual forms; pieces esquillees; piece esquillee on Decatur point . . • • . • . 95 16. Linear Flow Model for Prehistoric Chipped-Stone Industry in the Cache Basin, Arkansas •••• 96 17. Linear Flow Model Showing Biface Breakage at Hester Site ..••....•..•• 97 18. Burin Function and Dalton Zone Burin: cutting and scraping functions; striking platform of Dalton zone burin on true blade, dorsal and ventral views; preparation of burin working edge. 98 19. Chopper from Big Sandy Zone 99 20. Adzes: adze preform, adze .•••....•••••••• 100 21. Adzes: adzes, adze butt, adze bit ...••• 101 22. Adzes: adze, recycled adzes used as core and lamellar blade core . . . . 102 viii ix 23. Dalton Assemblage Points . . • . 103 24. Dalton Assemblage Points . • • • • 104 25. Miscellaneous Projectile Points: Jude, Greenbrier, Plevna, Eva II, Autauga, Morrow Mountain I, Madison ..•••••••••• 105 26. Pine Tree Points: initial and advanced stages, end scraper • . . • • • • . • • . . • • . • 106 27. Beachum (provisional type) and Decatur Points: Beachum; initial, advanced, and final stages Decatur • • • • • . • • . . . • . . 107 28. Big Sandy and Lost Lake Points: Big Sandy with graver tip, Lost Lake end scraper • • • • • • • • . . • 108 29. Early Archaic Point Chronology • 109 30. End Scraper Edge-Angle Values. • 110