March
ARCHAIC ARTIFACTS
East Central

United States
10,500 to 3,000

Years Ago

   Of all the pictures I took in 1999 this one is my favorite. This picture centers around the large Sloan Dalton I first saw in an antique shop in southern Illinois. The base had a little damage but otherwise it is the best example of "hollow ground" flaking I have ever seen. I was eventually able to borrow the point to restore, cast and photograph (see postcards). The center of the picture shows the fine pressure flaking along the edge. It is also one of the largest Daltons of this type measuring 10 1/4 inches long. But what is most impressive about this Sloan Dalton is that it is so skillfully made that there is currently no one skilled enough in this manufacturing technique that could copy it. "Hollow ground" flaking is a procedure unique to the Dalton culture in the U.S. The edge is very thin but the center is thick and "rounded".
   All the artifacts in this picture belong to the Archaic cultural tradition. See no. 15AC Archaic postcard picture for additional information about this picture.

FLOYD RITTER COLLECTION