Mississippian Triangular

Edward G. Scully initially named this type Mississippi Triangular points, later changing the name to Madison points because of their distribution in Wisconsin and Missouri.  John Whatley used Scully’s oritional name in his work with The Society for Georgia Archaeology’s Early Georgia publication in its April 2002 addition.  The return to the Mississipppian Triangular name seems to encourage lumping together the Hamilton point reported by James Cambron and David Hulse in their Handbook of Alabama Archaeology that was published by the Alabama Archaeological Society in 1964.  

Scully believed these points to date to the Middle and Late Mississippian period. Whatley dates them between 800 and 1700 AD with their main focus between 850 and 550 BP. Mark Williams states that no small triangular points occur after AD 1350.  Cambron and Hulse date the Hamilton slightly earlier from the Late Archaic period to the Late Woodland period, using examples recovered at several Alabama sites

Madison points are small, measuring from only .5 to 1 inch (14mm to 29mm) in length. The blade ranges from isosceles to equilateral triangles with straight to slightly incurvate blade edges. The basal edge ranges from flat to slightly incurvate or excurvate. Blade edges can be finely serrated.  This same description generally fits all of the triangular points that fall under these three names.

Madison points are believed to be present in virtually every county in Georgia.  The map below illustrates the distribution of known Mississippian sites.  Maps like this one contain a survey bias as not all areas have been surveyed.  Clinch County, for example, has many  known Woodland sites, yet there are none indicated because they have yet to be surveyed.