Projectile point · Paleoindian
Suwannee
10500–9500 BCE, Clovis
Suwannee was named by Bullen for the Suwannee River drainage of north Florida and is the characteristic late Paleoindian point of the Florida rivers and springs, usually dated a little after Clovis. It is made of Florida chert and agatized coral, and most known examples come from river bottoms. Together with Simpson it defines the unfluted Florida Paleoindian horizon.
| Object | Projectile point |
|---|---|
| Dates | 10500–9500 BCE |
| Period | Paleoindian |
| Cultures | Clovis |
| Regions | North America — Southeast |
Diagnostic traits
Large unfluted lanceolate with a waisted lower blade, flaring ears, a shallowly concave base thinned by short flakes, ground basal edges and a broad, flat cross-section.
Identification
Suwannee has a moderate waist and a blade that is not much wider than the base; Simpson is far more constricted at the waist with a blade that balloons out above it. Clovis in Florida is fluted; Suwannee only basally thinned. Later Bolen points are side notched.
Reproductions and fakes
Florida river points are heavily faked, usually in local chert with an applied stain; genuine river-found pieces have an even dark brown to black mineral stain that continues into every flake scar and a smoothed, almost polished feel from water transport.
Elsewhere
- Wikidata: Q7650576
- Wikipedia: Suwannee point
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Suwannee" (Artifact type). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/types/suwannee. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-suwannee,
title = {Suwannee},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/types/suwannee}},
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.