Bannerstone · Middle Archaic
Winged bannerstone
4000–1500 BCE, Archaic (Eastern)
The winged bannerstone is a drilled atlatl weight of the Middle to Late Archaic Eastern Woodlands, about 4,000 to 1,500 BCE, with two outswept wings and a central barrel. It was slid onto the spear-thrower shaft as a weight or ornament. Banded slate examples are the classic Ohio and Indiana form.
| Object | Bannerstone |
|---|---|
| Dates | 4000–1500 BCE |
| Period | Middle Archaic |
| Cultures | Archaic (Eastern) |
| Regions | North America — Eastern Woodlands |
Diagnostic traits
Drilled atlatl weight with two outswept wings and a central barrel; commonly banded slate or quartz.
Identification
Winged forms have thin outswept wings and a cylindrical barrel, unlike the butterfly bannerstone, which has notched or lobed wings and a raised ridge, and the boatstone, which is hollowed and not drilled through the length. The bore is drilled with a reed and sand and shows incremental rings. Banded slate, quartz and claystone are typical.
Reproductions and fakes
Bannerstones are the most faked ground-stone object; fakes are cut with power tools, have straight-walled drill holes and a polish that does not follow banding. Genuine pieces show pecking, hand polishing and often incomplete bores.
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Winged bannerstone" (Artifact type). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/types/winged-bannerstone. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-winged-bannerstone,
title = {Winged bannerstone},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/types/winged-bannerstone}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, 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.