Projectile point · Paleoindian
Quad
10500–9500 BCE, Dalton
Quad was named by Soday in 1954 for the Quad site in Limestone County, Alabama, and belongs to the unfluted late Paleoindian horizon that precedes and overlaps Dalton across the Tennessee Valley, Kentucky and southern Illinois. Many examples are resharpened to a stubby blade on the original wide base. Collectors class it with Beaver Lake and Dalton as the Dalton cluster.
| Object | Projectile point |
|---|---|
| Dates | 10500–9500 BCE |
| Period | Paleoindian |
| Cultures | Dalton |
| Regions | North America — Southeast, North America — Eastern Woodlands |
Diagnostic traits
Short, broad lanceolate with a wide auriculate base, flaring rounded ears, a deep basal concavity, basal thinning by several short flakes rather than a true flute, and ground basal edges.
Identification
Quad is wider and shorter than Beaver Lake, with broader flaring ears and without the recurved blade. Dalton has a serrated, alternately beveled blade. Cumberland and Redstone are fluted; Quad carries only short basal-thinning scars.
Reproductions and fakes
Reproductions often exaggerate the ears; genuine points have ground ear edges, a plain patina in the basal concavity and blade edges narrowed by ancient resharpening.
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Quad" (Artifact type). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/types/quad. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-quad,
title = {Quad},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/types/quad}},
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.