Projectile point · Middle Woodland

Norton

200 BCE–200 CE, Hopewell, Woodland (Eastern)

Norton is a Middle Woodland corner-notched point of Illinois and adjacent states, named by Montet-White for the Norton mounds in Fulton County, Illinois, and dated to about 200 BCE–200 CE. It is closely related to Snyders and is made of the same heat-treated Burlington chert. It is common on Havana Hopewell sites in the Illinois Valley.

ObjectProjectile point
Dates200 BCE–200 CE
PeriodMiddle Woodland
CulturesHopewell, Woodland (Eastern)
RegionsNorth America — Eastern Woodlands

Diagnostic traits

Medium to large, broad, thin corner-notched point with a triangular blade, well-defined barbs, an expanding stem and a straight to slightly convex base.

Identification

Norton is generally smaller than Snyders with a straighter, more triangular blade and less rounded base; Manker has shallower notches and a broader expanding stem, and Gibson has narrower notches and a less pronounced barb. Affinis Snyders is the name used for the same continuum of smaller, straighter-edged Snyders-like points.

Reproductions and fakes

Reproductions in heat-treated Burlington are bright pink and glassy; genuine points show mottled white patina in the flake scars.

Elsewhere

Cite this article

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

@misc{stratum-norton,
  title        = {Norton},
  author       = {{Stratum Study}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/types/norton}},
  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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