SNYDERS POINTS

Middle Woodland: 2,400 to 1,500 BP

DESCRIPTION: Snyders points are large bifaces and range in size from 55 to 75 mm in length, 40 to 60 mm in width, and 8 to 9 mm in thickness. Internotch width ranges from 19 to 25 mm. The shape is quite distinctive with bold round corner notches on am ovate preform. The lateral edges are always convex, forming long barbed shoulders and short expanding stems with slightly convex bases. The maximum width is low on the blade, usually just above the notches. Cross sections are generally plano-convex. Snyders points show a high degree of workmanship, rarely seen on contemporaneous locally-made Saugeen points. As few as five or six broad, flat bifacial thinning flakes are removed from each lateral edge to finish the preform. The corner notch, which appears to be made by the removal of one thick, round flake from the lower corner of each edge, was likely fed by several smaller preparation notches. Pressure retouching is minimal, with most of it being done on the barbs and base. Limited grinding sometimes appears on the base.



DISTRIBUTION: Snyders points and similar Hopewellian variants are occasionally found over much of southwestern Ontario, however, they appear to be more frequent near Lakes Erie and St. Clair. In the USA these points are widely spread throughout the midwest and New York state.

RAW MATERIAL: Upper Mercer chert and Flint Ridge chalcedony from Ohio are the primary materials used to make Ontario examples, although they also appear in Onondaga chert.

AGE AND CULTURE: These are an early to mid-Hopewellian point type and date in the first half of the Middle Woodland stage in southern Ontario. In Illinois they are commonly dated between 200 B.C. and 50 A.D.

REFERENCES: London Chapter, Ontario Archaeological Society. C. Murphy, 1988 Snyders Points. KEWA 88-3. Bell, 1958, pp. 88-89. Ritchie, 1961, p. 49, 105. Waldorf, 1987, p. 189. Justice, 1995, pp. 201-204. Overstreet, 2003, pp. 929-931.