Projectile point · Early Archaic
Gower
7000–6000 BCE, Plains Archaic
Gower was defined in the Suhm and Jelks handbook and is one of the earliest Archaic points of central Texas, found in the lower Archaic levels of Hill Country and Lower Pecos sites. It is made on Edwards chert and is often chunky and heavily resharpened. Well-made examples are uncommon.
| Object | Projectile point |
|---|---|
| Dates | 7000–6000 BCE |
| Period | Early Archaic |
| Cultures | Plains Archaic |
| Regions | North America — Great Plains, North America — Southwest |
Diagnostic traits
Small to medium point with a narrow rectangular stem, a deep, narrow basal notch that splits the stem into two short lobes, rounded shoulders and a thick, often crudely flaked blade.
Identification
Gower's narrow parallel-sided stem with a deep slot separates it from Uvalde, whose stem expands and whose concavity is wide. Hoxie is a related early stemmed form without the basal notch. Bifurcates of the eastern United States are thinner and serrated.
Reproductions and fakes
Not attractive enough to be faked; the difficulty is recognising crude genuine examples. Patina and stem grinding are the checks.
Elsewhere
- Wikidata: Q32210938
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Gower" (Artifact type). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/types/gower. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-gower,
title = {Gower},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/types/gower}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, wikidata, commons. 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.