Raddatz Side-Notched / Osceola
These points are named after specimens found at the Raddatz
Rockshelter site, Sauk County, Wisconsin, the Osceola site in Grant
County, Wisconsin, and at the Airport site near Madison, Wisconsin.
Other Possible Names or Related Points: Godar. Osceola points
are very similar to Hemphill points.
Age: 5,000 to 3,500 B.P. They are accurately dated
stratigraphically below Durst points in several rockshelters and at
several open air sites.
Distribution: Found throughout the Midwest.
Description: These points are medium-size side-notched spear
tips. Blades are triangular to parallel sided, with Osceola
predominantly parallel, and converge sharply at the tip. Notches are
moderate in size and tend to be U-shaped, inserted at right angles to
the blade. Basal ears tend to line up with the blade edges. The bases
are slightly concave to straight and are sometimes ground (usually on
concave bases). Concave forms tend to be larger and are probably an
early variant, having evolved from Early Archaic notched forms. A few
serrated or beveled examples are known. Raddatz points with straight or
slightly convex bases are generally smaller, and may represent a shift
in hunting technology to compound shaft darts. The Madison Side-Notched
variant usually has a wide base with shallow side notches just above the
base. These points are relatively crude and are best described as wide
Raddatz points with shallow side notches. They should not be confused
with small, Late Woodland Madison triangular points.
Length: 4–9 cm/1.5–3.5 in. (Raddatz) Width: 3–4 cm/ 1–1.5 in.
Length: 9–24 cm/3.5–9.5 in. (Osceola) Width: 3–4 cm /1–1.5 in.
Material: In the Upper Mississippi Valley these points are
usually made of local chert such as from the Prairie du Chien formation
and are often heat-treated, resulting in a lustrous finish.
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