Projectile point · Mississippian
Cahokia
900–1300 CE, Cahokia, Mississippian
The Cahokia point is the finely made side-notched arrowpoint of the Mississippian American Bottom and the greater Midwest, about 900 to 1,300 CE, named after the Cahokia site. Caches of hundreds were placed in the Mound 72 burials. Serrated and multi-notched examples are the most desirable.
| Object | Projectile point |
|---|---|
| Dates | 900–1300 CE |
| Period | Mississippian |
| Cultures | Cahokia, Mississippian |
| Regions | North America — Eastern Woodlands |
Diagnostic traits
Small triangular arrow point with paired side notches and often a basal notch; edges sometimes serrated.
Identification
Cahokia has paired side notches and often a basal notch on a small triangular blade, sometimes serrated, unlike Madison, which is unnotched, and Reed, which has a single pair of notches and is smaller. Burlington chert is typical. Triple-notched examples are diagnostic.
Reproductions and fakes
Cahokia points are faked in Burlington chert with cut notches and serrations; genuine notches are narrow, pressure-flaked and lightly patinated. Fresh-looking serrations are the warning sign.
Elsewhere
- Wikidata: Q333661
- Wikipedia: Cahokia
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Cahokia" (Artifact type). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/types/cahokia. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-cahokia,
title = {Cahokia},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/types/cahokia}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, wikidata, 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.