Madison Triangle Projectile Point: Identification, Age & Range

If you found a small, thin, plain triangle of flaked stone east of the Mississippi, there is a good chance you are holding a Madison point. This is a true arrowhead, made to tip arrows shot from bows, and it was one of the most widespread point forms in eastern North America during the Late Woodland and Mississippian periods, about 1,100-300 B.P. Edward G. Scully defined the type in 1951, naming it for Madison County, Illinois.

Madison points were still being made when Europeans arrived in parts of the East, which makes them among the youngest chipped-stone points a finder is likely to encounter.

Period: 1,100 - 300 B.P. · Late Woodland to Mississippian
Typical size: 13–55 mm long, 12–25 mm wide
Region: This point is found from the Mississippi River to the the eastern seaboard.

How to identify a Madison Triangle point

The form could hardly be simpler: a triangle with no stem, no notches, and no ears. Most examples measure 13 to 55 mm long, averaging about 26 mm, roughly the size of a postage stamp, with widths of 12 to 25 mm and a thin, flat cross section only 3 to 6 mm thick. The typical outline is an isosceles triangle about twice as long as it is wide, though some pieces approach an equilateral shape.

Edges and base carry the details. The blade edges are usually straight, sometimes gently convex, and only rarely concave or serrated. The base runs straight to slightly concave and commonly shows basal thinning, with small flakes removed to slim the bottom edge. All flaking was done by pressure in no set pattern, and quality swings widely, from crisp, symmetrical points to rough-and-ready examples. Aside from the tip, resharpening is uncommon. Makers used whatever decent stone was on hand, including quartz, jasper, rhyolite, and local cherts, and frequently heat treated the harder cherts.

The main identification challenge is separating Madison from other plain triangles, which often comes down to proportions, thickness, and where you found it.

Age and where it's found

Madison points date to about 1,100-300 B.P., spanning the Late Woodland period through the Mississippian era. Their range is enormous: from the Mississippi River eastward to the Atlantic seaboard, north into southern Ontario and possibly farther into Canada. Across that range they are associated with many late prehistoric cultures, including the major Mississippian towns.

The type belongs to a broad Late Woodland-Mississippian triangle cluster whose regional cousins include Levanna, Hamilton, Fort Ancient, Yadkin, and Fresno points. In the Cahokia area, the notched Cahokia Side Notch point shares the same basic triangle and is thought to have been eventually replaced by the plain Madison form.

Similar and related types

Levanna Triangle — A northeastern triangle that is typically broader relative to its length, often about as wide as it is long, with a more concave base.
Cottonwood Triangular — A look-alike plain triangle, but it is a western type from the Great Basin and California rather than the Eastern Woodlands.
Cahokia Side Notch — Shares the thin triangular blade but carries distinct side notches, which Madison never has.
Washita Projectile Point — A small plains arrow point of similar age that is side notched rather than a plain triangle.

Think you found a Madison Triangle?

Upload a photo and our shape-matching AI will compare it against 1,500+ documented point types — with an honest read on how well it fits.

Run a free Quick Check

Loading…

Madison Triangle Projectile Point: Identification, Age & Range

Madison points were still being made when Europeans arrived in parts of the East, which makes them among the youngest chipped-stone points a finder is likely to encounter.

How to identify a Madison Triangle point

The main identification challenge is separating Madison from other plain triangles, which often comes down to proportions, thickness, and where you found it.

Age and where it's found

Similar and related types

Levanna Triangle — A northeastern triangle that is typically broader relative to its length, often about as wide as it is long, with a more concave base.

Cottonwood Triangular — A look-alike plain triangle, but it is a western type from the Great Basin and California rather than the Eastern Woodlands.

Cahokia Side Notch — Shares the thin triangular blade but carries distinct side notches, which Madison never has.

Washita Projectile Point — A small plains arrow point of similar age that is side notched rather than a plain triangle.