Projectile point · Early Woodland
Cresap
500–100 BCE, Adena
Cresap is an early Adena point of the upper Ohio Valley in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania, named for the Cresap Mound in Marshall County, West Virginia, and dated to about 500–100 BCE. It was made from Upper Mercer, Flint Ridge and local cherts. It is the Adena predecessor of the larger, straight-stemmed Robbins blade.
| Object | Projectile point |
|---|---|
| Dates | 500–100 BCE |
| Period | Early Woodland |
| Cultures | Adena |
| Regions | North America — Eastern Woodlands |
Diagnostic traits
Medium to large point with a triangular blade, sloping shoulders and a fairly long contracting stem with a rounded to straight base, often with the stem edges lightly ground.
Identification
Cresap's contracting stem separates it from Robbins and Kramer; Adena Stemmed has a shorter stem with a rounded base and a broader, more ovate blade. Late Archaic Karnak Stemmed and Woodland Dickson can resemble it but Dickson has sharper shoulders and a more tapered stem.
Reproductions and fakes
Seldom singled out for faking; look for consistent patina and worn stem edges on genuine pieces.
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Cresap" (Artifact type). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/types/cresap. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-cresap,
title = {Cresap},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/types/cresap}},
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.