Projectile Weaponry from the Aurignacian to the Gravettian of the Swabian Jura (Southwest Germany): Raw Materials, Manufacturing and Typology

Abstract

Here we describe the variability of projectile points made from bone, antler, and ivory recovered from cave sites in the Ach and Lone Valleys (Swabian Jura), focusing on Aurignacian and Gravettian assemblages. Based on the faunal provenience of the points, we recognize a distinctive change in raw material use from the Aurignacian to the Gravettian: during the Aurignacian antler was used for the small split-base points, bone for highly variable points, and ivory for the comparatively large and unstandardized points. During the Gravettian hardly any antler points have been found and bone points were manufactured from mammoth ribs. The raw materials tend to be associated with a specific type of point and chaine operatoire.