Projectile point · Late Woodland
Chesser
300–800 CE, Woodland (Eastern)
Chesser Notched is a late Middle to Late Woodland point of Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky, named by Prufer for Chesser Cave in Athens County, Ohio, and dated to about 300–800 CE. It was made from Upper Mercer, Flint Ridge and local cherts and is the Ohio equivalent of the Illinois Steuben and Lowe types. It is common in southeastern Ohio collections.
| Object | Projectile point |
|---|---|
| Dates | 300–800 CE |
| Period | Late Woodland |
| Cultures | Woodland (Eastern) |
| Regions | North America — Eastern Woodlands |
Diagnostic traits
Medium-sized, thin point with a triangular to slightly excurvate blade, weak shoulders and a long expanding stem with a straight or slightly convex base, with shallow corner notches.
Identification
Chesser has a longer, more expanding stem and weaker shoulders than Hopewell corner-notched types such as Gibson; it resembles Lowe and Steuben closely and is separated mostly by region. Jack's Reef is thinner with a pentagonal blade and finer flaking.
Reproductions and fakes
Seldom faked; genuine Upper Mercer examples show a dull sheen and worn stem edges.
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Chesser" (Artifact type). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/types/chesser. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-chesser,
title = {Chesser},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/types/chesser}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.