Scottsbluff point

A Scottsbluff point is a type of North American projectile point, named for their 1932 discovery in situ at Scottsbluff Bison Quarry in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, United States.^[1][2] They are usually large late Paleolithic lanceolate spearheads,^[1] and were stereotypically used for hunting American bison and other large prey animals.^[3] They are considered part of the Cody cultural complex, dating to around 7000 BC,^[1] or around 9000 to 8600 BP.^[2] The Cody complex, named for Cody, Wyoming, is marked by co-occurrence of Eden and Scottsbluff points, and Cody knives.^[4] Scottsbluff points are typically found in the plains between the Rockies and the Mississippi River valley.^[5] Scottsbluff points typically have a square stem and "transverse parallel pressure flaking that terminates at the midline, producing a biconvex cross section".^[5] The difference between an Eden point and a Scottsbluff point, first described in 1957, is that the former "is much narrower in relation to its length, has a less strongly indented stem, and usually has collateral flaking that produces a diamond-shaped cross-section".^[2] Alberta points also co-occur in this complex.^[5]

See also

• American bison hunting

References

1. Myers, Thomas; Gunderson, Harvey (1977). "Some Important Projectile Point Types from Nebraska". University of Nebraska State Museum: Programs Information: 3.
2. Peck, Trevor Richard (2011). Light from Ancient Campfires: Archaeological Evidence for Native Lifeways on the Northern Plains. Athabasca University Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-897425-96-1.
3. Boszhardt, Robert F. (2003). A Projectile Point Guide for the Upper Mississippi River Valley. University of Iowa Press. pp. 29–30. ISBN 978-1-58729-441-9.
4. "Cody Complex Projectile Points From the Max Site, North Dakota | State Historical Society of North Dakota Blog". blog.statemuseum.nd.gov. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
5. Emerson, Thomas E.; McElrath, Dale L.; Fortier, Andrew C. (2012). Archaic Societies: Diversity and Complexity across the Midcontinent. State University of New York Press. p. 165. ISBN 978-1-4384-2700-3.