Javelin use among Ethiopia’s last indigenous hunters: Variability and further constraints on tip cross-sectional geometry

Abstract

Ethnographically known weapon systems are crucial for the functional interpretation of pertinent archaeological materials. The tip cross-sectional geometries of North American ethnographic projectiles are particularly widely used as standards against which the probable functions of archaeological stone points are assessed. While their known weapon-delivery mechanisms make these North American samples ideal references for archaeological investigations, their applicability to Afro-Eurasian assemblages is contestable. Using metric and contextual data from contemporary hunting javelins in southwestern Ethiopia, we expand on recent efforts to recalibrate such reference datasets. We find that overall javelin size and tip geometry are governed by factors ranging from the hunter’s age and physical competence to prey type and the intended hunting (e.g., startling, diverting, wounding, killing), and even symbolic/ceremonial, tasks. We argue that such dynamics may explain the great variation in the tip cross-sectional geometries of stone points in the archaeological record. Comparisons of our tip cross-sectional values with relevant published data provide further metric constraints and highlight the need for cautious interpretations of prehistoric weapon-delivery mechanisms where the role of symbolism and of children in the making of the archaeological record should also be considered.