The Manning cache : an examination of the McWhinney heavy stemmed point

This thesis will explore the significance of a cache of Late Archaic lithics found in Randolph County, Indiana by Bobby Manning. These points, thought to mostly be of the McWhinney Heavy Stemmed type are unique in that very few caches of these points have found been in such good condition in unmixed contexts. The McWhinney Heavy Stemmed point, as currently defined, is not well represented in the archaeological record. Point typology is important to archaeology because point types indicate the age and cultural affiliation of most surface sites. Point typologies, then, require accurate description of good samples from unmixed contexts. By presenting background data concerning the McWhinney Heavy Stemmed point and known morphological correlates this thesis aims to provide a better description of the point type. Also this data, coupled with the data from the Manning cache is used to produce results that determine the significance of the cache and determine if this isolated cache reflects a new variant in the McWhinney type or, if justified, a new type altogether.Department of AnthropologyThesis (M.A.