Projectile point · Late Prehistoric
Avonlea
300–1000 CE
The Avonlea point is the earliest arrowpoint of the Northern Plains, about 300 to 1,000 CE, named after a site in Saskatchewan and marking the arrival of the bow among bison hunters. Its thinness and fine flaking are remarkable. It is found from Alberta to Montana and the Dakotas.
| Object | Projectile point |
|---|---|
| Dates | 300–1000 CE |
| Period | Late Prehistoric |
| Regions | North America — Great Plains |
Diagnostic traits
Very thin, finely flaked triangular arrow point with tiny side notches placed low near a straight or concave base.
Identification
Avonlea is very thin and finely pressure-flaked with tiny side notches placed low near a straight or concave base, unlike Besant, which is a thicker dart point, and Plains Side-notched, which has higher, coarser notches. Size is small. Knife River flint and chalcedony are typical.
Reproductions and fakes
Fakes are rare because the thinness is hard to reproduce; check for patina on the flint. Misidentification with Besant is more common than fraud.
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Avonlea" (Artifact type). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/types/avonlea. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-avonlea,
title = {Avonlea},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/types/avonlea}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Study 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.