FLARED BIT SPUDS
MISSISSIPPIAN PERIOD
ILLINOIS AND TENNESSEE
FLOYD RITTER COLLECTION
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    The five stone spuds in this picture are all very

good examples. The granite Jersey Bluff spud on

the right is the oldest. It probably dates to the Late

Woodland period. This spud was made by pecking

the surface with a hammerstone in the same way

axes were made, then the surface was ground and

polished. The four spuds on the left  were made

from chert and shaped by percussion flaking in the

same way spades, hoes and other large bifaces

were made. The flake scars were removed by

grinding and the last step was polishing the surface

to a smooth finish. The spud on the left and the

second one from the right were both found on or

near the Cahokia Mounds site in Madison County,

Illinois. The Jersey Bluff spud was found in Fayette

County, Illinois. The two spuds on the left were

made from Kaolin chert. The longest example in this
group is in the center. It measures 9 1/2 inches

(24.1 cm) long and is reported to have been found

in Humphreys County, Tennessee.

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