Spearhead · Late Archaic
Old Copper socketed point
4000–1000 BCE, Old Copper
The Old Copper socketed point is a hammered native-copper spearhead of the Late Archaic western Great Lakes, about 4,000 to 1,000 BCE, made by folding the base into a conical socket. Rat-tail tanged points are the alternative hafting form. It is the type object of the Old Copper Complex.
| Object | Spearhead |
|---|---|
| Dates | 4000–1000 BCE |
| Period | Late Archaic |
| Cultures | Old Copper |
| Regions | North America — Eastern Woodlands |
Diagnostic traits
Hammered native copper spear point with a folded conical socket; rat-tail tanged variants also occur.
Identification
The socket is formed by folding hammered sheet into a cone, leaving a seam, unlike cast sockets; rat-tail points have a drawn tang instead. Blades are lenticular and hammer-facetted. Genuine copper shows a dark, layered patina and often native silver inclusions.
Reproductions and fakes
Reproductions hammered from modern copper stock are common and have been made for a century; they have uniform sheet thickness, a fumed chemical patina and no silver. Trace-element analysis can separate Lake Superior copper from refined stock.
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Old Copper socketed point" (Artifact type). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/types/old-copper-socketed-point. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-old-copper-socketed-point,
title = {Old Copper socketed point},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/types/old-copper-socketed-point}},
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.