Stone Age Spear and Arrow Points of California and the Great Basin: - Hardcover

Justice, Noel D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0253339111 ISBN 13: 9780253339119

Publisher: Indiana University Press, 2002

Synopsis

Noel Justice adds another regional guide to his series of important reference works that survey, describe, and categorize the projectile point and cutting tools used in prehistory by Native American peoples. This volume addresses the region of California and the Great Basin. Written for archaeologists and amateur collectors alike, the book describes over 50 types of stone arrowhead and spear points according to period, culture, and region. With the knowledge of someone trained to fashion projectile points with techniques used by the Indians, Justice describes how the points were made, used, and re-sharpened. His detailed drawings illustrate the way the Indians shaped their tools, what styles were peculiar to which regions, and how the various types can best be identified. There are hundreds of drawings, organized by type cluster and other identifying characteristics. The book also includes distribution maps and color plates that will further aid the researcher or collector in identifying specific periods, cultures, and projectile types.

About this title

About the Author

Noel D. Justice, Assistant Director and Curator of Collections of the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology at Indiana University, is author of Stone Age Spear and Arrow Points of the Midcontinental and Eastern United States (Indiana University Press).

Review

"This title has been reviewed jointly with Stone Age spear and arrow points of the Southwestern United States, by Noel D. Justice. Justice's two volumes continue the format of his 1988 survey and compilation of projectile points recovered from the midcontinental and eastern US. Together, they provide detailed information about 52 point types known from excavation and surface collection in the Southwest, the Great Basin, and California. Each distinctive form is first defined by shape and unique aspects of flaking and base shape, then by its first known occurrence in the archaeological record. Age and cultural affiliation and geographical distribution are presented, with frequent citations to the detailed bibliography at the end of each volume. The volumes begin with a series of high-quality color plates illustrating type specimens of each cluster, followed by an identification key. Introductory essays set forth each book's organization, present issues relating to the illustration, photography, and metrical classification of projectile points, discuss raw materials and technologies used in manufacture, and evaluate evidence for a possible pre-Clovis occupation horizon in North America. Written for both general readers and practicing archaeologists, these works belong in all college, university, field laboratory, and museum libraries supporting courses and research in North American archaeology." —R. B. M. Ridinger, Northern Illinois University, Choice, December 2002

(R. B. M. Ridinger, Northern Illinois University Choice 2002-01-00)

"... more than a point guide... [it] provides a tremendous amount of introductory information on many aspects of archaeology....Justice had made a most worthwhile contribution to the archaeological community." —Newsletter of the South Dakota Archaeology Society

(Newsletter of the South Dakota Archaeology Society)

Edition details

• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0253339111
• ISBN 13: 9780253339119
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 448