Projectile point · Paleoindian

Milnesand

9000–8000 BCE, Plano

Milnesand was named by Sellards in 1955 from a bison kill in Roosevelt County, New Mexico, on the Llano Estacado. It is a Plano form of the southern Plains, roughly contemporary with Firstview and the Cody complex. Alibates and Edwards chert are usual. The type is best represented by base fragments from blowouts in eastern New Mexico and West Texas.

ObjectProjectile point
Dates9000–8000 BCE
PeriodPaleoindian
CulturesPlano
RegionsNorth America — Great Plains, North America — Southwest

Diagnostic traits

Parallel-sided lanceolate with a straight to very slightly concave base, fine parallel-oblique or transverse flaking, a base thinned by several short vertical flakes, and grinding of the base and lower edges.

Identification

Milnesand has a straight base with vertical thinning scars, whereas Plainview has a concave base and Goshen is earlier and thinner. Eden has a diamond cross-section and slight shoulders; Angostura has oblique flaking and a narrower, often contracting base.

Reproductions and fakes

Reproductions in Alibates show fresh bright banding; genuine points have subdued colour, basal grinding and often wind polish from Llano Estacado blowouts.

Elsewhere

Cite this article

Stratum Study. "Milnesand" (Artifact type). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/types/milnesand. Accessed 2026-09-21.

@misc{stratum-milnesand,
  title        = {Milnesand},
  author       = {{Stratum Study}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/types/milnesand}},
  year         = {2026},
  note         = {Artifact type article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, wikidata. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
}

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Sources for this article: Stratum editorial (Stratum editorial);Wikidata (CC0). As of 2026-09-21; Study pack 2026.09. Data reproduced under the licences shown; text in Stratum's own words unless a section names its source.

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