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Anthropology Department

The Milligan Hill Site Artifacts

The Milligan Hill collection consists of artifacts surface collected from a plowed field by Louis Follett and donated to 三亿体育官网 in the late 1960s. The site is located in the Town of Saratoga, Saratoga County, N.Y., and lies on the north side of Fish Creek.

Various artifacts

Left to Right: Quartzite Drill, Chert Scraper/Graver, Chert Drill, Chert Bifacial Hafted Scraper

Steatite bowl fragments

Steatite Bowl Fragments

Chert adena point

Chert Adena Point
Only one Adena point was collected from Milligan Hill. These points are, in general, large with broad lobate stems and range between 7.6 cm and 12.7 cm (3 in and 5 in) in length (Ritchie 1971:14). Adena points are diagnostic of the Adena culture of the Early Woodland period, dating from approximately 800 BC to AD 800. They are found in the Upper Ohio River valley, especially in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Various artifacts

Left to Right: 2 Chert Jack's Reef Pentagonal Points, 3 Levanna Points (2 Chert and 1 Quartzite)
Four Jack's Reef Pentagonal points were collected at Milligan Hill. These points are broad, stemless, pentagonal points and are diagnostic of the Middle Woodland period, dating between approximately AD 500 and AD 1000. They occur in the highest frequency in the Northeast (Justice 1987:215)  Jack's Reef Corner-Notched points (n=1) are broad, thin, corner-notched points ranging in size from 2.5 cm to 5.7 cm (1 in to 2.3 in). They are diagnostic of the Late Middle Woodland to Late Woodland periods, dating between approximately AD 700 and AD 1000, and are found in central New York.  Levanna points (n=3) are medium to large, fairly thin, triangular points typically diagnostic of the Late Woodland period, dating from approximately AD 900 to AD 1500. They are generally found throughout New York , New England, and southeastern Ontario (Ritchie 1971:31).

Bannerstone/atlatl weight

Bannerstone/Atlatl Weight

various artifacts

Left to Right: 2 Chert Oriental Fishtail Points, 1 Chert Poplar Island Point, 2 Chert Bare Island Points

Orient Fishtail (n=8) points are slender with a narrow blade merging into a flaring "fishtail stem" (Ritchie 1971:39). They range in size from 3.0 cm to 10.2 cm (1.2 in to 4 in) and are found in eastern and southern New York. Orient Fishtail points are diagnostic of the Late Archaic, Transitional, and Early Woodland periods, dating from approximately 1500 BC to 100 BC.

Two Poplar Island points were identified in the assemblage. Poplar Island points are medium to large, symmetrical, and have rounded shoulders and a constricted rounded stem (Ritchie 1971:44). They are typically found in the lower Susquehanna River region and are diagnostic of the Late Archaic period, dating between approximately AD 700 and AD 1000.

Bare Island points are medium-sized, finely flaked points with isosceles triangular blades and straight stems (Ritchie 1971:14). Bare Island points are diagnostic of the Late Archaic period, dating to approximately 1500 BC, and are found in the lower Susquehanna Valley. Twenty-one Bare Island points were collected from Milligan Hill.

Large Chert Preforms

Large Chert Preforms

various points

Left to Right, Top Row: 3 Chert Brewerton Eared Triangle Points, 2 Lamoka Points-Quartzite and Chert
Left to Right, Bottom Row: 3 Chert Brewerton Eared-Notched Triangle Points, 3 Chert Brewerton Side-Notched Points

The collection contains 10 Brewerton Eared Triangle points. These points are typically relatively thin, isosceles triangular points of small to medium size with delicately chipped ears on each side of the base (Ritchie 1971:18). Brewerton Eared Triangles are diagnostic of the Upper, Middle, and Late Archaic horizons, dating from approximately 5000 BC to 1200 BC, and are found in central and eastern New Yo