Arrowhead Identification: How to Find and Identify Real Arrowheads

You're walking along a creek bed, scanning the gravel, when you spot a triangular piece of stone with sharp edges and a pointed tip. Your heart skips a beat. Is this an arrowhead? Or just a random chip of flint that happens to look pointy?

Here's the truth: real arrowheads are out there, and people find them all the time. But so are natural rocks that look similar. The difference comes down to symmetry, intentional shaping, and specific flaking patterns that reveal human craftsmanship.

Let's walk through how to identify real arrowheads, what rocks they're made from, where to find them, and how to tell an authentic artifact from a rock that just got lucky.

What Is an Arrowhead?

Technically, most "arrowheads" people find aren't arrowheads at all—they're projectile points. This term includes arrowheads (small, lightweight points for arrows), spear points (larger, heavier), and dart points (for atlatl darts).

The bow and arrow only appeared in North America about 1,500-2,000 years ago. Anything older is a spear point or dart point. But colloquially, people call them all arrowheads, and that's fine. The identification principles are the same.

Arrowheads were made by a process called flintknapping: striking or pressing stone to remove flakes, shaping it into a sharp, symmetrical point. This required skill, and it left specific patterns you can recognize.

How to Tell If a Rock Is an Arrowhead

Real arrowheads have several key features:

1. Symmetry

This is the most important clue. Arrowheads are intentionally symmetrical. If you draw a line down the center, both sides should mirror each other. The shape is deliberate: triangular, leaf-shaped, or notched at the base.

Natural rock chips are random. They might be sharp, they might be triangular, but they won't have bilateral symmetry. If both sides match, someone made it.

2. Bifacial Flaking

Turn the arrowhead over. Real points are flaked on both sides (bifacial). You'll see a pattern of overlapping flake scars radiating from the edges toward the center. These scars are smooth, conchoidal (curved), and regular.

Natural breaks don't show this pattern. They might have one conchoidal fracture, but not a systematic series of flake removals on both faces.

3. A Defined Tip

The point comes to a sharp, intentional tip. It's centered and symmetrical. The edges converge smoothly to the tip without abrupt angles or irregularities.

Broken arrowheads may lack the tip (very common), but the remaining edges and base still show deliberate shaping.

4. Sharp Edges

The edges are sharp, straight, or slightly curved, and run the full length of the point. Arrowheads were cutting tools, so the edges were carefully thinned and sharpened.

Natural rocks may have sharp fractures, but the edges won't be consistent or symmetrical along the full length.

5. A Base (Usually Notched or Straight)

The base is where the arrowhead was attached to the shaft. It can be:

• Notched: Side notches, corner notches, or a single basal notch (stem)
• Straight: A flat or slightly concave base
• Stemmed: A narrowed section at the base for hafting

The base is often wider or differently shaped than the blade. This is a dead giveaway—it shows functional design for attachment.

6. Thin Cross-Section

Arrowheads are thin relative to their width. They were designed to penetrate, so knappers thinned them as much as possible without breaking them. A thick, chunky piece of flint is probably not an arrowhead.

7. The Right Stone

Arrowheads are made from rocks that fracture conchoidally (smooth, predictable breaks). Common materials:

• Flint and chert: The most common. These are fine-grained sedimentary rocks, usually gray, brown, or tan.
• Obsidian: Volcanic glass, jet black, extremely sharp. Highly prized.
• Jasper: Red, brown, or yellow cryptocrystalline quartz.
• Chalcedony: Translucent quartz varieties (agate, carnelian).
• Quartzite: Metamorphosed sandstone, tough and durable.
• Basalt: Dark volcanic rock, used when better materials weren't available.

If it's made from granite, limestone, or sandstone, it's not an arrowhead. Those rocks don't flake well.

Common Arrowhead Shapes and Styles

Arrowhead styles varied by region, time period, and culture. Archaeologists classify them by shape and can often date points based on their style. Here are a few common types:

Clovis Points

Large, fluted spear points from the Paleo-Indian period (13,000+ years ago). These are rare and valuable. They have a distinctive channel flake running up the center of each face.

Dalton Points

Triangular with a beveled edge and a concave base. Common in the southeastern U.S., dating to around 10,000 years ago.

Clovis-Folsom Transitional

Smaller, later variants of Clovis points with refined flaking. Found across North America.

Triangular Points

Simple, symmetrical triangles with a straight base. These are common and appear in many time periods. Often Late Woodland or Mississippian (500-1,000 years ago).

Notched Points

Side-notched, corner-notched, or stemmed points. The notches allowed secure binding to the shaft. Styles like Archaic side-notched points are thousands of years old.

Bird Points

Tiny, delicate arrowheads less than an inch long. These were for hunting birds and small game. Very small, very thin.

Where to Find Arrowheads

People lived near water, so arrowheads concentrate near rivers, creeks, springs, and lakes. Specific spots:

Riverbanks and Creek Beds

Erosion exposes arrowheads buried in sediment. After heavy rain or flooding, check gravel bars and shorelines. Arrowheads are often half-buried or lying on the surface.

Plowed Fields

Farming brings buried artifacts to the surface. Walk freshly plowed fields, especially near water. Spring (after plowing and rain) is prime time.

Eroded Hillsides

Hilltops and ridges were used as camps and lookout points. Rain washes arrowheads downslope, concentrating them at the base.

Caves and Rock Shelters

These were natural shelters used for thousands of years. Check the soil around cave entrances (with permission and legal clearance).

Old Trails and Campsites

Known archaeological sites are off-limits, but you can hunt areas that were likely campsites based on geography. Flat ground near water with a good view = likely camp.

Legal and Ethical Considerations

Know the law. Collecting arrowheads is illegal on all federal land (National Parks, BLM, National Forests) and most state parks. The Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) makes it a felony.

Private land is legal with the landowner's permission. Always ask first.

Don't disturb archaeological sites. If you find multiple artifacts, pottery, or bones, leave them alone and report the site to local authorities or a university archaeology department. Disturbing a site destroys scientific context and history.

Respect cultural heritage. Arrowheads are artifacts of Indigenous cultures. Treat them with respect. Don't sell sacred or ceremonial items.

Arrowhead vs. Rock: Final Comparison

Here's how to tell them apart at a glance:

• Symmetry: Arrowhead = symmetrical. Random rock = asymmetrical.
• Flaking: Arrowhead = bifacial, patterned. Rock = single random break.
• Edges: Arrowhead = sharp, straight, consistent. Rock = irregular.
• Base: Arrowhead = notched, stemmed, or flat. Rock = random.
• Thickness: Arrowhead = thin. Rock = thick.

What to Do If You Find an Arrowhead

First: don't move it if you're on public land or an archaeological site. Take a photo and note the location.

If you're on private land with permission, you can collect it. Handle it carefully—many are fragile. Wash it gently, document where you found it, and store it safely.

Consider donating exceptional finds to a museum or university. They can study it, date it, and preserve it for future generations. You'll often get credit as the finder.

Ready to Identify Your Find?

If you've found a rock that might be an arrowhead, compare it to the features above. Check for symmetry, bifacial flaking, and a defined tip and base.

For help identifying the stone type, use Rock Identifier. The app can tell you if your find is made from flint, chert, obsidian, or another knappable stone—important clues in determining authenticity.

Want to learn more about the rocks arrowheads are made from? Check out our guides on obsidian identification and quartz vs. glass.