| THE WILDLIFE PLOT CACHE |
Cliff Jackson |
Cache of Bannerstones found by Steve Boykin. They are shown actual size. Photo by Cliff Jackson
In October of 1989, Steve Boykin noticed a lot of flint on the ground as he was plowing. This South Carolina outdoorsman was preparing wildlife food plots on his hunting grounds along the Savannah River in Allendale County, South Carolina, on the first ridge off the palmetto flats which border the river. The sandy land was covered with Coastal Plains chert flakes and broken pieces of soapstone vessels. This was enough for Steve to realize that there was an ancient Archaic habitation site on this ridge from deep in the past.
Steve continued to investigate throughout the hunting season and came across a beautiful rose quartz bannerstone first. Then before the shock wore off, and within eighteen inches of the first find, Steve found a cubic bannerstone made from a dense black hardstone. It had been drilled through on one plane; the remaining four sides of the cube were decorated with nipples left by a cane drill. Now if two bannerstone at one time weren't enough, close by he found a third barrel banner, which was undoubtedly part of the same cache. Within the same six foot area, Steve found four exquisite Coastal Plains chert Six Mile Creek variants. The points are all thin and well made and are all serrated with fine edge work that extends around the blade all the way to the top of the stem. They were found within inches of one another near the banner circle. This type of point has been dated to the Middle Archaic period, circa 7000 to 5000 BP.
The three bannerstones were whole, completely polished examples of American Indian stone craftsmanship. They were made from rare and colorful materials, chosen with care for the material's translucence and optimum visual appeal. Couple this with the proximity of the ceremonial-like serrated points and they form a small window into the past along the Savannah River some 5000 year ago.
On this same wildlife plot Steve Boykin found another cache two years later. This cache consisted of three large well-made Bascom points that date from the Late Archaic period (4500 to 3500) years before present). These points were made from highly patinated Coastal Plains chert. The largest point measures 5 1/2 inches long. This long usage of this sandy ridge is also evidenced by a small Coastal Plains Clovis and many other varied point types that Steve has found at this site over the years.
The thrill of the hunt and thrill of the find is what appeals to many of us Indian artifact collectors. One of the benefits of our hobby is being outside, enjoying the breezes, sunlight and nature while awaiting the arrival of game and looking toward the earth and finding a thing of beauty from thousands of years ago at our feet. Steve Boykin knows this thrill in a way that few of us will ever experience-the thrill of finding a cache of rare bannerstones on our favorite hunting spots.
This author would like to thank Steve for his interview, which was given at the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, artifact show in September of 2000. This wonderful cache of bannerstones has been authenticated as ancient by American Antiquities Inc.
© 1990 C.S.A.S.I. Last modified:
December 8 2004