Field Notes

Welcome to Field Notes, an educational typology section of the Texas Points website. This is the first of several such sections that will become available over the next few weeks. Additional Dart Point types will be added as well as Arrow Point, Stone Tools, and Miscellaneous Artifacts sections all coming soon!

A Few Notes on Typology

• Remember not all artifacts "fit" within an existing "type".
• Early man did not have a type manual or catalog to thumb through for ideas before knapping a point. Although, he did most likely have a template, or idea, of what the point should resemble when completed.
• Artifacts do not retain their original shape due to use, resharpening and re-use. Therefore some artifacts can not be typed due to their stage of use. (Example: An original Pedernales may now be unrecognizeable as a Pedernales due to it being broken on impact, repointed, rehafted, used as a hafted knife, resharpened repeatedly until it is used down to a knub and then discarded. The final stage would be much different from it's original form as a Pedernales projectile point.) 

Texas Typology History

Dee Ann Suhm, Alex D. Krieger and Edward B. Jelks laid the groundwork in the Texas Artifact Typology in the 1954 Handbook, "An Introductory Handbook of Texas Archeology". This has since evolved over the years with key contributors such as Elton Prewitt, Ellen Sue Turner and Thomas R. Hester further defining and describing Texas types.

A Word about Texas Points Field Notes

If you are truly interested in Texas artifacts, I strongly encourage you to purchase "A Field Guide to Stone Artifacts of Texas Indians" by Ellen Sue Turner and Thomas R. Hester. It is by far the best Texas typology book available and aided in the development of Texas Points Field Notes.

The artifacts that appear in this section are all legally obtained artifacts from private land with the landowner's permission. Each have been given careful consideration when assigned to a type. This is not to say that no errors were made when classifying these.

If you have any questions or comments regarding Texas Points Field Notes, please send them to shannon@texaspoints.com.