Projectile point · Early Archaic
Hidden Valley
7000–6000 BCE, Archaic (Eastern)
Hidden Valley was named by Chapman from the Hidden Valley Shelter in Jefferson County, Missouri, and is an Early Archaic stemmed form of the Missouri and Illinois Ozark border, dated in the earlier half of the period. It is made on Burlington and other Ozark cherts and is common in Missouri collections though often unlabelled.
| Object | Projectile point |
|---|---|
| Dates | 7000–6000 BCE |
| Period | Early Archaic |
| Cultures | Archaic (Eastern) |
| Regions | North America — Eastern Woodlands |
Diagnostic traits
Stemmed point with a straight to slightly contracting stem, a straight or slightly concave ground base, barbed to horizontal shoulders and a triangular blade that may be serrated.
Identification
Hidden Valley resembles Hardin Barbed but is smaller with a less carefully beveled blade and a straight rather than expanding stem; Rice Contracting Stem lacks the barbs and grinding. Kirk Stemmed is longer with a serrated blade and no barbs.
Reproductions and fakes
Rarely targeted; genuine points show stem grinding and Burlington patina.
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Hidden Valley" (Artifact type). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/types/hidden-valley. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-hidden-valley,
title = {Hidden Valley},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/types/hidden-valley}},
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.