Identified By:Patrick J. Munson and Alan D. Harn
Named For: West Matanzas in Fulton County, Illinois
Date Identified: 1966
Type Site: Surface finds in West Matanzas (Illinois River Valley)
Munson is an anthropologist and professor of anthropology at the Indiana University. He has conducted extensive studies into the archaeology of Indiana. Harn is the Assistant Curator of Anthropology at the Dickson Mound Museum. This point was named in a professional publication and has many professional references. This is considered a valid type.
This is a thick medium triangular side notched point. The cross section may vary from most commonly, elliptical to having a median ridge. The blade is long, moderately narrow, and excurvate with wide parallel notches. The notches may vary from shallow to deep depending upon the placement of the notches on the blade. Notches that enter higher on the blade tend to be wider and shallower while notches that enter low on the blade ten to be narrower and deeper. The shoulders are primarily slopped upwards, but may vary to horizontal. The stem is expanding with a straight to slightly convex base. Basal corners range from rounded to pointed with basal thinning and light to moderate basal grinding being present. This point is manufactured using random percussion flaking and finished with pressure flaking forming a random flaking pattern.
Total Length - 35 to 95 mm (average 40 to 65 mm), Stem Length (to shoulder blade junction) - 10 to 20 mm, Blade Width - 18 to 34 mm (average 15 to 30 mm), Notch Depth / Neck Width - 2 to 4 mm depth / 12 to 29 mm, Stem Width - 16 to 34 mm.
Various locally available cherts most often using heat treatment.
Cook (1976) subdivided this type into five classes based on the notch dimensions; Modal, Flared Stem, Faint Side Notched, Deep Side Notch, and Straight Stem. Of the five classes, the standard type identified by Munson and Harn is the Modal class (Justice, 1987).
The Shallow Side Notch class is very low on the blade and have an appearance such as the Godar and Raddatz points (Justice, 1987).
This point is primarily found in the mid Mississippi River valley and into the Illinois River valley, lower to mid Ohio River valley, and the lower Missouri River valley. This point is found with less frequency into Minnesota
Date: 5,700 - 3,000 B.P.
Cultural Period: Middle to Late Archaic
Glacial Period: Middle Holocene to Neoglacial
Culture:
Phase:
Ansell, Besant, Brunswick, Cairo Side Notch, Durst, Fishspear, Godar, Helton, Raddatz, Swan Lake
Brewerton Eared Triangle, Brewerton Eared, Brewerton Notched
