Savannah River Projectile Point: Identification, Age & Range

How to identify a Savannah River point

Start with size and proportions. Savannah Rivers run 40 to 170 mm long — most fall between 60 and 100 mm — and the blade is notably wide at 28 to 77 mm, giving the point a broad triangular look. The stem is short and squarish, usually straight-sided but sometimes contracting or expanding slightly, and the base is the key detail: it is most often concave, with basal thinning flakes removed, and only lightly ground if at all. Shoulders range from square to gently upward-sloping, without strong barbs. These are thick points, typically 10 to 14 mm, with a random flaking pattern rather than fine parallel work.

Material varies with local geology: Antietam-Erwin quartzite, rhyolite, quartz, and slate are common in the Carolinas and Virginia, with chert, jasper, chalcedony, and even hematite appearing elsewhere. Regional size differences are real — North Carolina examples average around 100 mm, while Alabama examples average closer to 50 mm — so a small stemmed point in the Deep South can still be a Savannah River. Be aware that many later Late Archaic and Early Woodland stemmed points get lumped in with this type; narrower stems and convex bases suggest something else, such as Elora or Paris Island.

Age and where it's found

The Savannah River cluster spans roughly 5,000 to 3,000 B.P., across the Middle to Late Archaic. The oversized classics associated with the Mill Branch phase, centered on the middle reaches of the Savannah drainage, date more tightly to about 4,150-3,800 B.P. Related and descendant forms include the Appalachian, Hamilton, Holms (a narrow-stem variety), and the smaller Early Woodland points sometimes called Small Savannah River.

The distribution is one of the largest of any eastern stemmed type: throughout the Appalachian mountain chain to the Atlantic coast, from New Jersey down the seaboard into Florida, and across the Tennessee River valley as well.

Similar and related types

• Pickwick Stemmed — Slightly earlier and centered on the Tennessee valley; its base is usually straight rather than concave and the blade is often asymmetrical with serrations or beveling.
• Susquehanna Broadspear Projectile Point — A Northeastern broadspear with an expanding stem and angular shoulders, versus the Savannah River's straighter stem and concave base.
• Benton Stemmed — Has steeply beveled stem and base edges — a trait Savannah Rivers lack — and a proportionally narrower blade.
• Gary Stemmed — A Gulf Coastal Plain type with a clearly contracting, pointed-looking stem instead of the Savannah River's broad square stem.
• Etley Stemmed — A Midwestern Late Archaic form that is longer and narrower for its size, with more pronounced barbed shoulders.