Along with the artifacts found at
this site, there are other indicating factors that this site was occupied by
the Poverty Point culture.
Chronologically the Jaketown site can be placed in the Poverty Point
time frame. Initial occupation of the
site was determined to be during a time when Wasp Lake was over run by an
active river channel. The history of
the Lower Mississippi Valley indicates that the Mississippi River occupied that
area sometime between 2800 to 600 B.C.
This places the Jaketown site occupation at the same time frame as the
Poverty Point culture.
There
are a variety of artifacts found at this site including chipped stone
artifacts, ground stone artifacts, and fired clay objects. Two types of chipped stone artifacts were
found, projectile points and chipped bifacial tools. Over 4,000 projectile points were found at the Jaketown
site. Although many were broken enough
to prohibit any identification, some 2,000 of the points were found to be
associated with the Poverty Point culture.
The most types of projectile points found were called Pontchartrain
points. These types of points were also
dominant in most other Poverty Point sites.
Pontchartrain points were almost exclusively made from local chert and
are typically assumed to be used a cutting and piercing tool. Kent points are very similar to
Pontchartrains in both material and construction; in fact it is probable that
Pontchartrain points are just more carefully made Kent points. Another point very typical of the Poverty
Point culture and found in abundance at this site are Gary points mostly made
from novaculite. Motley points were
found at this site in limited distribution possibly indicating that these
points were a status symbol for elite hunters or warriors. Other points found at Jaketown include Epps,
Delhi, Carrollton, Macon, Ellis, Shumla, Marshall, and Elam. Most of these points were predominantly made
from local chert. The types of chipped
bifacial tools found in Jaketown are choppers, adzes, celts, drills, and
scrapers. Again, most if these tools
were made of local chert and came from Poverty Point cultures.