Projectile point · Early Archaic
Mummy Cave
6300–4300 BCE, Plains Archaic
Mummy Cave is named for the deeply stratified Mummy Cave on the North Fork of the Shoshone River in Park County, Wyoming, excavated by Wedel, Husted and Moss, whose Early Archaic levels produced this form. It defines the Early Plains Archaic side-notched horizon across Wyoming, Montana and the Rocky Mountain front. Local cherts, quartzite and obsidian are used.
| Object | Projectile point |
|---|---|
| Dates | 6300–4300 BCE |
| Period | Early Archaic |
| Cultures | Plains Archaic |
| Regions | North America — Great Plains, North America — Great Basin & Plateau |
Diagnostic traits
Side-notched dart point with notches set low on the blade, a straight or slightly concave base that may be ground, and a triangular blade with a lenticular section.
Identification
Mummy Cave is separated from Bitterroot and Northern Side-notched, its Plateau and Great Basin contemporaries, largely by region; Hawken is slightly later with wider, shallower notches. Oxbow has a deeply concave eared base.
Reproductions and fakes
Not reproduced by name; check for grinding and mountain-chert weathering.
Elsewhere
- Wikidata: Q138717958
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Mummy Cave" (Artifact type). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/types/mummy-cave. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-mummy-cave,
title = {Mummy Cave},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/types/mummy-cave}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, wikidata. 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.