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Late Archaic Period

Image of various Late Archaic dart points
Late Archaic dart points, front and back views. A) Castroville, B) Pedernales, C) Bulverde, D) Castroville (reworked into a drill), E) Marcos, F) Marshall, G) Frio, H) Ellis/ Edgewood

The Late Archaic dates from around 4200 years ago until about 700 years ago. The Late Archaic was a long and dynamic period that resulted in a large number of different types of projectile points, reflecting a similar variety in the ways people lived and provided for themselves. The Late Archaic is so long that it is divided into smaller sub periods to better recognize significant developments that took place within the Late Archaic.   Late Archaic I lasted from approximately 4200 to 3100 years ago. Late Archaic II dates from about 3100 to 2150 years ago. The final subdivision, Late Archaic II, lasted from 2150 to approximately 1270 years ago.  The dart point types recovered from the SLDR that represent the Late Archaic include Bulverde, Castroville, Ellis, Edgewood, Ensor, Fairland, Marcos, Montell, Morhiss, Pedernales, Lange, Marshall and Darl. The Late Archaic is represented by the largest quantity of time diagnostic points with a total of 59 specimens! 


Image of Castroville point reworked into a drill
Castroville point reworked into a drill

There's something funny about that point!

Does the Castroville point in the image to the left and above (D) seem odd? That's because it's been reworked into a drill!

Just as ancient Texans would repair and resharpen projectile points that were damaged, they would also sometimes rework them into a different kind of tool. 

Repair, Reuse, Recycle!