This lithic cast was done as part of a teaching collection representing the Great Basin Western Stemmed Tradition archaeological finds. The unique ecology of the Great Basin Desert encompasses an area of northern Nevada and Utah, between the boundaries of the Sierra Nevadas and the Rocky Mountain ranges. Researchers Bruce Kaiser and Richard Shipley provided a collection of projectile points and knives in order to creat this collection, with the support of archaeologist Darin Duke and the Far Western Anthropological Research Group.
This cast was molded from the authentic original in 2019 as part of that collection. It was made in Obsidian and typed as a Haskett point. It has been suggested to type this as a Cougar Mountain type, as the two are closely related. It clearly runs the line between the two styles, as classic Haskett does not have shoulders on the stem, and Cougar Mountain does. This point has enough of a shoulder swelling, but not defined enough to change the classification at this point.
It was found on Topaz Mountain in Tooele County, UT. This is the area of the Utah Test and Training Range(UTTR) along the southwestern edge of the Great Salt Lake. Researchers have dated that site (42T04465) to the Pleistocene/Holocene Transition around 11,500-9,500 cal BP.
UTM(Universal Transverse Mercator) coordinates 292590E/4470231N. The point measures 96mm long, 28mm at widest, and 5mm at thickest. This is expertly flaked, and on the thin side of average Haskett family stone tools.
Research done by the Far Western Anthropological Research Group/Daron Duke has pushed the time of the Western Stemmed Tradition back further into the Paleoindian period, with dating as far back as 12,000 years ago. One of the points in the study from Utah's Great Salt Lake region tested showed elephant/probiscidean blood residue, showing use for large thrusting and throwing spears. This artifact is one of the best examples known, and is a complete and undamaged example of the regional type. (cast copyright Occpaleo 2023)
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