The Mississippi Paleoindian and Archaic Point Survey is a continuation of the work that was initiated by Samuel McGahey in the 1970's. Intact Paleoindian and Early Archaic sites are rare in Mississippi, and most of the projectile points that are recovered from these time periods are isolated finds from disturbed contexts like fields and streams. These points are often the only artifacts that remain from early cultural groups, and our interpretations about the people who used them are based on locations of finds, raw material types, and morphometrics.
As part of a nationwide network of archaeologists interested in Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene hunter-gatherers, I contribute state-level data from MS to the Paleoindian Database of the Americas (PIDBA). We rely heavily on the cooperation of collectors and avocational archaeologists to report their finds, and all information is kept confidential. We don't ask to keep your artifacts - only to measure and photograph them, and for you to provide as much information as you are comfortable with so that we can put a dot on a map!
If you would like to share information about your finds, or if you know of any intact sites with Paleoindian or Early Archaic material, please contact me! Keep in mind that for my research, broken points and bases are just as important as complete points. And check this page for updates - I will post pictures of points and a spreadsheet with information as I record additional artifacts.
