Cotaco Creek Point

This triangular stemmed point measures between 1.75 and 3.75 inches in length, exhibiting a range of cross-sectional profiles, from flattened to rhomboid. The blade itself is characterized by a broad, predominantly straight morphology, often accompanied by fine serrations. Alternatively, some specimens display an excurvate or incurvate blade shape, with certain examples featuring a shoulder edge that flares outward. Across the various blade forms, a common trait is the presence of fine serrations, sometimes paired with beveling. The shoulders are typically angled upward, although they can also be horizontal or exhibit a slight barbing. The stem is generally short and straight, but may exhibit a contracting form. The base of the point is usually straight, with some specimens displaying a subtle convex or concave curvature. Notably, the base is thinned, and evidence of grinding in the hafting region is often present. The point's manufacture involves well-controlled, broad, shallow percussion flaking, supplemented by fine pressure flaking used to retouch the edges, resulting in a random, non-patterned flaking arrangement.

The arrowheads exhibit the following dimensions: - Total length ranges from 47 mm to 83 mm, with a mean length of 64 mm. - The stem length varies between 14 mm and 65 mm, averaging 10 mm. - Blade width measures between 33 mm and 45 mm, with an average of 40 mm. - The stem width ranges from 14 mm to 19 mm, averaging 16 mm. - The thickness of the arrowheads is consistently between 6 mm and 7 mm.

This artifact is mainly located in the northern Alabama section of the Tennessee River Valley, extending into southern central Tennessee. Occurrence declines in other areas of the Tennessee River Valley and neighboring territories