Projectile Points
Projectile points are a category of pointed, bifacial stone artifacts that were used as arrowheads, spear points, and harpoon points for thousands of years; they are distinguished from other types of stone tools such as drills, scrapers, and knives by their distinct forms. They changed over time due to trade, how the point was used, influences from other cultures, and the available stones, among other reasons. Archaeologists tend to classify points through typologies, which group the artifacts into types based on shape, size, and age. By grouping them in this way, we can study not only how technology changed over thousands of years, but can also learn about trade, mobility, hunting, and diet.
Items
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Susquehanna Broad Point
Susquehanna Broad Point
Bottom half of a side-notched, rhyolite Susquehanna Broad point (3,700 - 2,700 B.P.) broken across the blade. Click to Learn More→ -
Brass Point
Brass Point
Point made from sheet cut from a brass kettle, which was likely obtained by the Wampanoag through trade with the English Click to Learn More→ -
Madison Point
Madison Point
Grey rhyolite Madison point (1,100 - 300 B.P.) with straight sides and a concave base. Click to Learn More→ -
Levanna Point
Levanna Point
Dark grey quartzite Levanna point (1,300 - 600 B.P.) with concave sides and base. Click to Learn More→ -
Meadowood Point
Meadowood Point
Dark grey chert Meadowood point (3,300 - 2,700 B.P.) with a convex base, straight sides, and broken tip. Click to Learn More→ -
Orient Fishtail Point
Orient Fishtail Point
Dark grey quartzite Orient Fishtail point (3,200 - 2,600 B.P.) with a lanceolate (leaf-shaped) blade, weak shoulders, and a flat base. Click to Learn More→ -
Brewerton Eared Triangle
Brewerton Eared Triangle
Asymmetrical Brewerton Eared Triangle (5,000 - 4,000 BP) point with a concave base made of black rhyolite. Click to Learn More→ -
Hardaway-Dalton Point
Hardaway-Dalton Point
Triangular Hardaway-Dalton point (10,500 - 9,000 B.P.) made of grey rhyolite with a deeply concave base and a lot of retouching on the blade and tip. Click to Learn More→ -
Neville Point
Neville Point
Neville point (7,000-6,000 BP) with broken tip, upward curving shoulders, and flat base made out of fine-grained grey rhyolite. Click to Learn More→