Getting the Point: Metal Weapons in Plains Rock Art

Abstract

Metal projectile points were the earliest non-native made weapons to enter the Plains and would likely have caused significant changes in Protohistoric period warfare. Despite this there has been little effort to identify and study these artifacts in Plains rock art, even though it is almost our only archaeological record of warfare from this period. Recent research at Bear Gulch and Atherton Canyon, located in central Montana, has identified a number of metal projectile points used by shield bearing warriors. Described and discussed along with about 30 other examples from rock art sites across the region, these points provide significant insight into the introduction and earliest use of metal tools on the Plains.