Projectile point · Late Archaic
Ledbetter
3000–1000 BCE, Archaic (Eastern)
The Ledbetter point is a Late Archaic stemmed knife of the Tennessee valley and Southeast, about 3,000 to 1,000 BCE, named after a site in Tennessee. Its asymmetric blade reflects use and resharpening as a knife. Most are in Fort Payne or local cherts.
| Object | Projectile point |
|---|---|
| Dates | 3000–1000 BCE |
| Period | Late Archaic |
| Cultures | Archaic (Eastern) |
| Regions | North America — Southeast |
Diagnostic traits
Large asymmetrical stemmed blade with one straight and one convex edge; contracting stem.
Identification
Ledbetter has one straight and one convex blade edge, a contracting stem and sloping shoulders, unlike Pickwick, which is barbed with a recurved blade, and Savannah River, which is symmetrical with a wide straight stem. Size is large. Benton has a straighter, ground stem.
Reproductions and fakes
Seldom faked; confusion with Pickwick and other Late Archaic stemmed knives is the norm. Genuine asymmetry from resharpening is expected.
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Ledbetter" (Artifact type). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/types/ledbetter. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-ledbetter,
title = {Ledbetter},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/types/ledbetter}},
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.