Bare Island projectile points are stone projectile point

Projectile point

In archaeological terms, a projectile point is an object that was hafted to a projectile, such as a spear, dart, or arrow, or perhaps used as a knife....

s manufactured by Native Americans in what is now the northeastern United States, generally in the time interval of 3000-2000 B.C. They predate the invention of the bow and arrow, and are therefore not true "arrowheads", but rather atlatl

Atlatl

An atlatl or spear-thrower is a tool that uses leverage to achieve greater velocity in dart-throwing.It consists of a shaft with a cup or a spur at the end that supports and propels the butt of the dart. The atlatl is held in one hand, gripped near the end farthest from the cup...

 dart points. They derive their name from the specimens found at the Kent-Halley site on Bare Island in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

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Description

Bare Island points sizes range from 1.2 in length to 3.8 inches with an average of somewhat over 2 inches in length. They have straight stems and straight bases, and are generally 2 to 3 times longer than they are wide.

Age and cultural affiliations

They have mostly been dated to the late Archaic period, 3000-1000 BC.

Distribution

These points are generally found in the Lower Susquehanna river valley in Maryland, but are also found to the north in New Jersey and to the northwest in southern and eastern New York and Pennsylvania

External links

• Virginia Department of Historic Resources