Projectile point · Paleoindian
Dalton
8500–7900 BCE, Dalton
The Dalton point is the type object of the Dalton tradition of the central Mississippi Valley and Southeast at the end of the Pleistocene, about 8,500 to 7,900 BCE. It served as both projectile and knife and was resharpened repeatedly until it became a serrated drill or stubby blade. Cemeteries such as Sloan in Arkansas held caches of unused examples.
| Object | Projectile point |
|---|---|
| Dates | 8500–7900 BCE |
| Period | Paleoindian |
| Cultures | Dalton |
| Regions | North America — Southeast, North America — Eastern Woodlands |
Diagnostic traits
Lanceolate with a deeply concave, ground base and basal thinning; blade commonly serrated and bevelled from resharpening.
Identification
Dalton differs from Clovis and Cumberland in lacking true flutes, having instead basal thinning and a deeply concave, ground base, and from Hardaway in having no side notches. Serrated, bevelled blade edges from resharpening are the norm. Greenbrier and San Patrice are related forms with slighter concavities.
Reproductions and fakes
Daltons are faked in Burlington chert and novaculite, with too-regular serrations, no grinding and a fresh heat-treated lustre. Genuine points almost always show asymmetric resharpening and worn basal ears.
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Dalton" (Artifact type). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/types/dalton. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-dalton,
title = {Dalton},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/types/dalton}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Study 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.