Projectile point · Late Archaic
Montell
1500 BCE–200 CE, Plains Archaic
Montell is a Late Archaic dart point of central and south Texas, named by Suhm and Krieger for Montell in Uvalde County and dated to about 1500 BCE–200 CE. It was made from Edwards chert and is a companion of Castroville and Marcos in central Texas sites. The forked stem makes it one of the most distinctive Texas points.
| Object | Projectile point |
|---|---|
| Dates | 1500 BCE–200 CE |
| Period | Late Archaic |
| Cultures | Plains Archaic |
| Regions | North America — Great Plains |
Diagnostic traits
Medium to large dart point with a triangular blade, barbed shoulders and a broad straight stem split by a deep central basal notch that produces two squared prongs.
Identification
The deep single basal notch in a broad stem separates Montell from Frio, which has a smaller notched base with corner notches, and from Pedernales, which has a concave rather than deeply notched base and a longer, narrower stem. Castroville lacks the basal notch.
Reproductions and fakes
The stem prongs on reproductions are crisp and unworn; genuine prongs show rounding and one is often broken.
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Montell" (Artifact type). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/types/montell. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-montell,
title = {Montell},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/types/montell}},
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.