Projectile point · Early Woodland
Kramer
1000–500 BCE, Woodland (Eastern)
Kramer is the Early Woodland straight-stemmed point of the Illinois and lower Ohio valleys, named by Munson for the Kramer site in Fulton County, Illinois, and associated with the Marion phase and early Black Sand ceramics. It was often made of Burlington chert and is one of the earliest points found with pottery in Illinois. It is common in west-central Illinois collections.
| Object | Projectile point |
|---|---|
| Dates | 1000–500 BCE |
| Period | Early Woodland |
| Cultures | Woodland (Eastern) |
| Regions | North America — Eastern Woodlands |
Diagnostic traits
Medium-sized point with a narrow triangular blade, squared shoulders and a long straight parallel-sided stem with a straight base that is often ground.
Identification
Kramer's long, straight, ground stem separates it from Late Archaic Karnak Stemmed, which is broader with a shorter unground stem, and from Dickson and Waubesa, which have contracting stems. Adena Stemmed has a rounded base and broader blade; Robbins is much larger with a wide stem.
Reproductions and fakes
Seldom faked; genuine stems show grinding smoothness under magnification along with soil patina.
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Kramer" (Artifact type). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/types/kramer. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-kramer,
title = {Kramer},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/types/kramer}},
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.