Chipped-stone crescent
Chipped stone crescents are a class of artifact found mainly associated with surface components of archaeological sites located in the Great Basin, the Columbia Plateau, and throughout California. Although their distribution covers a large portion of the western United States, crescents are often found in similar contexts in close proximity to water sources including playas, lakes, rivers, and mainland and island coast lines. Crescents are generally thought to be diagnostic to the terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene (approx. 12,000-8,000 years before present [YBP]) and are representative of assemblages that include fluted and stemmed projectile points. The exact purpose of crescents is unknown, but scientists suggest they may have been hafted as a projectile point, or used as part of a throwing stick. Crescent morphology Crescents are a type of artifact or group of artifacts that are somewhat morphologically diverse, but typically consist of a chipped-stone tool that is bilaterally symmetrical, bifacially pressure flaked, may have winged edges, and typically have edge-grinding. Crescents are typically found as part of surface assemblages as opposed to well-dated subsurface contexts, and lack good chronology which would indicate if the degree of morphological variability represents changes over time, or if the differences represent regional expressions.