Projectile point · Middle Archaic
Bell
4500–3500 BCE, Plains Archaic
Bell was named in 1967 by Sorrow, Shafer and Ross from work in Bell County, Texas, and is the central Texas member of the Calf Creek horizon of the Middle Archaic. It is made on Edwards chert and is found on the Edwards Plateau and Blackland Prairie. Whole examples are uncommon.
| Object | Projectile point |
|---|---|
| Dates | 4500–3500 BCE |
| Period | Middle Archaic |
| Cultures | Plains Archaic |
| Regions | North America — Great Plains, North America — Southwest |
Diagnostic traits
Basal-notched point with a triangular blade, a rectangular stem and barbs that are long but stop short of the base, with a thin, well-flaked cross-section.
Identification
Bell's barbs end above the base, whereas Andice barbs extend to or beyond the base line; Calf Creek is the Ozark equivalent. Later Marshall and Castroville are corner notched with much shorter barbs.
Reproductions and fakes
Reproduced in Edwards chert alongside Andice; genuine examples show matte patina and usually barb damage.
Elsewhere
- Wikidata: Q21893991
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Bell" (Artifact type). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/types/bell. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-bell,
title = {Bell},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/types/bell}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Study 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.