Perkiomen
Defining Attributes
The Perkiomen is a broad point with a small stem and a base that is usually convex. Generally, Perkiomen points are half as broad as long, and often asymmetrical. They are extremely thin for their width.
Chronology
The Perkiomen point dates to the end of the Late Archaic period. Radiocarbon dates associated with the Perkiomen in the upper Delaware River Valley range from 1720 ± 120 BC to 1500 ± 120 BC (approximately 2025-1700 BC in calendar years) (Kinsey 1972). Others suggest it has a broader date range of roughly 2000 to 1500 BC (2450- 1700 BC in calendar years) (Truncer 1990; Custer 1996; Wall et al. 1996).
Description
Blade
The blade is thin and approximately equilateral in shape. It is often somewhat out of center in relation to the stem. A medial ridge, if present, is usually just on one face, with the other face flat. Blade edges are frequently asymmetrical, convex near the tip, and slightly convex to concave elsewhere on the blade. The shoulders can form obtuse or acute angles, with one shoulder frequently barbed.
Haft Element
The base is usually convex, but can be straight; it is almost never concave. When compared to the blade, the expanding stem is quite small, with rounded corners. The edges of the stem and base are often ground smooth, and grinding can be found on the portions of the shoulder closest to the stem.
Size
Length ranges from 24 to 229 mm, with most between 51 and 102 mm. Width ranges from 21 to 102 mm, with most under 38 mm. Thickness ranges from 3 to 9 mm. Some studies suggest that the size of Perkiomens correlates with their material type or the distance the point traveled from its lithic source location, with larger points often found closer to quarries (Truncer 1990).
Technique of Manufacture
The point is often shaped from a large oval or pentagonal preform. Soft percussion produced wide and shallow flaking, with some pressure flaking around the haft. The flaking results in a cross section that is essentially flat.
Material
In a sample of 12 Perkiomen points from the lower Patuxent drainage, Steponaitis (1980) reported that 50% were quartz, followed by rhyolite (30%), quartzite (10%), and chert (10%). In the Monocacy River drainage, 85% of 13 Perkiomens were rhyolite, with 15% jasper (Kavanagh 1982). Jasper Perkiomen points predominate in the middle Potomac River Valley, but rhyolite was also used (Hranicky 2002). In Delaware, they are commonly made from jasper (Custer 1996). Along the Nottoway River in Virginia, the chert and jasper Perkiomen points were generally made from heat-altered material (McAvoy and McAvoy 1997)
Discussion
Perkiomen points are most commonly found in eastern New York and Pennsylvania, but they occur west to Indiana and south to Virginia (Justice 1987). They occur in small numbers across all of Maryland and Virginia, with a heavy concentration around the Dismal Swamp in Virginia, and throughout their range they are often found in riverine or wetland settings (Truncer 1990; Dent 1995).
The Perkiomen is part of a class of points known as “broadspears.” However, experimental study of Perkiomen use has found that they functioned as both projectiles (possibly fish spears) and knives. The knives tended to have wider blades than the projectiles, but there was morphological overlap between the two, complicated by factors such as re-sharpening (Truncer 1990; see also Staats 1986). Broken Perkiomens were often re-used as scrapers and other tools (Kraft 1990). An association of “killed” or broken Perkiomen points with cremation burials has also been noted (McLearen 1991).
Defined in Literature
This type was originally defined by Witthoft (1953), based on points recovered from eastern Pennsylvania.
References
1996 A Guide to Prehistoric Arrowheads and Spear Points of Delaware. Center for Archaeological Research, University of Delaware, Newark.
1995 Chesapeake Prehistory: Old Traditions, New Directions. Plenum Press, New York.
2002 Lithic Technology in the Middle Potomac River Valley of Maryland and Virginia. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York.
1987 Stone Age Spear and Arrow Points of the Midcontinental and Eastern United States: A Modern Survey and Reference. Indiana University Press, Bloomington.
1982 Archeological Resources of the Monocacy River Region, Frederick and Carroll Counties, Maryland: Final Report. Maryland Geological Survey, Division of Archeology, File Report 164.
1972 Archeology in the Upper Delaware Valley: A Study of the Cultural Chronology of the Tocks Island Reservoir. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg.
1990 The Terminal Archaic in the Upper Delaware Valley: A Broad and Narrow Perspective. In Experiments and Observations on the Terminal Archaic of the Middle Atlantic Region. Edited by Roger W. Moeller. Archaeological Services, Bethlehem, CT.
1997 Archaeological Investigations of Site 44SX202, Cactus Hill, Sussex County. Virginia Department of Historic Resources Research Report Series n. 8, Richmond.
1991 Late Archaic and Early Woodland Material Culture in Virginia. In Late Archaic and Early Woodland Research in Virginia: A Synthesis. Edited by Theodore R. Reinhart and Mary Ellen N. Hodges. Special Publication 23, Archeological Society of Virginia, Richmond.
1986 Function of the Perkiomen Broad Point: Another Point of View. Pennsylvania Archaeologist v. 56(1-2): 37-41.
1980 A Survey of Artifact Collections from the Patuxent River Drainage, Maryland. Maryland Historical Trust Monograph Series 1. Maryland Historical Trust and Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis, MD.
1990 Perkiomen Points: A Study in Variability. In Experiments and Observations on the Terminal Archaic of the Middle Atlantic Region. Edited by Roger W. Moeller. Archaeological Services, Bethlehem, CT.
1996 The Lithic Technology of the Trenton Complex. Trenton Complex Archaeology Report 13. The Cultural Resource Group, Louis Berger & Associates, East Orange, N J. Prepared for the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
1953 Broad Spearpoints and the Transitional Period Cultures in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Archaeologist 23(1):4-31.