An Early Archaic Tool for Extraction of the Meat from Muscle Shells	by Leroy Irons
Central States Archaeological Societies 2023 July Journal	Gallatin,Tennessee

This is an excerpt from "An Early Archaic Tool for Extraction of the Meat from Muscle Shells". Read the complete column in the Central States Archaeological Societies 2023 July Journal which can be purchased on-line after March 2024 Figure 1. Closeup of two examples of modified points uncovered by the author. Each measures approximately 1 ½” in length. I have been hunting a single component Early Archaic site in Sumner County, Tennessee over the past eight years. This site has maily produced Kirk points along with a modified point that originally puzzled me as to it’s use. The site has numerous fire/trash pits. Within these pits are numerous muscle shells. Scattered around these pits are the modified points. I have been an avid hunter for 72 years. In all of that time, I have only found these modified points in association with shells. It is my theory that these points were utilized to process the muscles, most likely for food consumption. They would serve perfectly as a tool to remove the meat in a rapid and convienent fashion. Prehistoric Native Americans consumed millions of muscles. The evidence for such consumption...   Read the complete column in the Central States Archaeological Societies 2023 July Journal which can be purchased on-line after March 2024