Reverse Engineering Stone Atlatl Dart Points

Abstract

ABSTRACTReverse engineering provides a way, in the absence of contemporary documentation, to deduce from physical principles the functional traits of artifacts. Constraints on atlatl dart point design serve as the principles to explain the discard of 46 whole points at the Cork site, 22OK746, a Middle Woodland occupation in north-central Mississippi. Because many of the points likely were jam-hafted, the dart–arrow index of Hildebrandt and King, rather than shoulder width, was used to identify them as dart points. Constraints operating on accuracy, penetrability, and durability were chosen. They include weight, symmetry, tip angle, raw material, and ratios of width and length to thickness. Cork site points most often violate critical values of the two ratios, indicating that their poor ability to penetrate a target was a major factor in their discard.