Projectile point technology: Understanding the relationship between tool design and hunting tactics

Abstract

Projectile points are one of the most common items used as temporal markers in the American Southwest. This artifact type is characterized by a significant degree of variability over the last 13,000 years, which presumably reflects important changes in the prey being hunted, and the methods used to hunt this game. This paper explores the relationship between projectile point technology, tool design, and hunting tactics using a sample of over 700 points from the Tularosa Basin in southern New Mexico and west Texas. It is suggested that the design concepts of durability and penetration efficiency are productive avenues of research for explaining these long-term changes in projectile point styles.