Thebes "Ohio Type" Cast

This wonderful example of an Ohio variety of Thebes points was sent to Occpaleo in 2011 for casting.  It was loaned from the Pailler collection(ex. Frank McClarey, Harley Alden collections) after being typed and authenticated by Western Typology(Stermer).  Thebes points date to around 8 to near 10,000 years ago, and have their range in the Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky regions.  This example from Licking County, Ohio was made in Upper Mercer Chert, and is among the best ever recorded.  It measures 3 and 3/8ths inches and has a width of 1 and 15/16ths inches while being extremely thin and perfectly flaked.  The base is ground, as is common for the type, but this piece is flaked as a centered biface.  This type is often called the "dog leg" type because of the shape of the notches. It lacks the beveled edge that often occurs with Thebes points once they have been resharpened.  While often called a "point" these works of art were believed to be hafted as knives as well.