Dalton from THE FAMOUS "Olive Branch Site"

Length: 2 5/8"

Grade: 9

Description: This nicely made Dalton is made of Bailey Chert, the base is heavily ground with good serrrations. A great example from a very Famous site. It is a Late Paleo -Proto Archaic projectile point.

About the Olive Branch site: One of the most significant Dalton age sites in North America,the Olive Branch Site is located in southern Illinois on the banks of the Mississippi River. The Book "Olive Branch; A Very Early Archaic Site on the Mississippi River" written by Dr. Michael Gramly, details the archaeological excavations at the site with a Carbon Date as early as 9,800 BP. The site was choosen by the Dalton people because of it's strategic position on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River and it is the only point within hundreds of miles where they could walk across the river when the water was low. This was possible because there is a limestone shelf that extends all the way across the river here. As large game animals crossed the river, the Dalton people ambushed them here.

Provenance: Found on private property by the site owner in Alexander Co. in southwestern Illinois. on the banks of the Mississippi River at a place called Thebes Gap.