Projectile Points Research Articles

Mapping Stratigraphy and Artifact Distribution with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Based Three-Dimensional Models—A Case Study from the Post Research Area in Northwestern Texas, USA

This study applies UAV-based photogrammetry to map and examine the stratigraphy and archaeological artifact distribution in two localities within the Post research area in northwest Texas. A DJI Inspire 1 UAV equipped with a Zenmuse X5 camera captured nadir and oblique images. These were processed using Agisoft Metashape to generate 3D models. These models enabled the precise mapping of stratigraphic boundaries, revealing the distinctions between Triassic-age bedrock, Pleistocene-age alluvial deposits, and Holocene-age aeolian sediments. Field surveys from 2022 to 2024 documented over 5000 artifacts with sub-centimeter accuracy, including diagnostic projectile points and ceramics. This research highlights the advantages of UAV-derived 3D models in rapidly and accurately documenting stratigraphy and archaeological data. It demonstrates the value of UAV technology for visualizing landscape-scale processes and artifact contexts, offering a new approach to understanding the interactions between geomorphology and archaeology. The findings contribute to advancing UAV applications in both geomorphological and archaeological research.

Projectile points, dangers and Amerindian ontologies at eastern Catamarca (Argentina) during the first millennium CE

ABSTRACT Evaluating the links between South American Amerindian ontologies and the contextual study of knapped lithic technology is the main goal of this paper. To this end, we focus on a study case from eastern Catamarca province, Argentina, during the 1st millennium A.D. We identified projectile points in only one context, a rock art rock shelter (Oyola 7), while in other archaeological sites in the area, we have not recorded this type of stone tool. Drawing on ethnohistoric and ethnographic data regarding the connection between arrows and shamanic practices of illness and healing, we propose considering the agencies of these objects, as well as their intrinsic danger and their multiple possibilities of affecting beyond their traditional functional interpretation.

Hunting with poisoned arrows during the Terminal Pleistocene in Northern Europe? A tip cross-sectional area assessment and list of potential arrow poison ingredients

The lithic projectile points of the Late Upper Palaeolithic (∼14.7–11.7 ka BP) in Northern Europe display a marked variation in size and design. The small tanged points characteristic of the latest phase in the sequence can be directly associated with finds of arrow-shafts and bow fragments, benchmarking the presence of archery. In the absence of such organic evidence during the older phases, size differences between tip designs may be used, with reference to ballistic principles, to derive hypotheses about ancient weapon systems. By calculating tip cross-sectional area values for a large sample of shouldered, backed, and tanged points from sites across the Northern Europe, we here explore likely changes in weapon use through time. In this context we specifically investigate the likelihood of the smallest of these tips as having been used with poison to increase hunting success. Our results show that: (i) bow-and-arrow technology most likely was in use already during the earliest phases of human occupation in the region; (ii) later on, different weapon systems equipped with different tip designs were used in parallel; and (iii) the smallest of lithic armatures align well with ethnographically documented poisoned arrows. To assist with future studies in the use of arrow poisons in Europe, we provide a list of potential poison sources, where they are currently distributed in the context of our study area.

Chipped-Stone Crescents from the Terminal Pleistocene–Early Holocene of Far Western North America and the Transverse Projectile Point Hypothesis

Chipped-Stone Crescents from the Terminal Pleistocene–Early Holocene of Far Western North America and the Transverse Projectile Point Hypothesis

Multi-stage experiments in Bronze Age spear combat: insights on wear formation, trauma, and combat contexts

This paper presents and discusses an experimental investigation of Bronze Age spear combat, with a focus on the impacts of bronze points against each other and other materials such as wooden shafts and shields, and animal tissues which act as a proxy for the human body.A replicable methodology comprising of a series of interconnected experiments gradually shifting the ratio between control and actualism is presented. The results offer fresh insights into prehistoric combat dynamics and the relationship between combat style, contact material, and the formation of wear traces. A comprehensive account of the morphology and formation dynamics of the damage inflicted on weapons, skin, and bone is provided, supported by detailed photographic documentation.The experimental design permitted to assess the frequency and type of collisions that would occur in actual spear combat. Furthermore, the development and modification of wear traces over time was also observed for the first time on spear points. The tests provided further insights into the level of training and skill required to execute specific movements with different combat objectives. Potential indicators for spear use in various combat contexts, such as fighting against multiple opponents versus more controlled encounters like duels, have been identified. The wear traces produced experimentally find convincing comparisons in the archaeological record.In conclusion, the results contribute to a more detailed understanding of Bronze Age armed encounters and provide robust guidance for interpreting combat marks on archaeological copper alloy weapons and on bones.

Stable Isotope Analysis and Chronology Building at the Hokfv-Mocvse Cultural Site, the Earliest Evidence for South Atlantic Shell-Ring Villages

Abstract Circular shell rings along the South Atlantic coast of the United States are vestiges of the earliest sedentary villages in North America, dating to 4500–3000 BP. However, little is known about when Indigenous communities began constructing these shell-ring villages. This article presents data from the Hokfv-Mocvse Shell Ring on Ossabaw Island, Georgia. Although shell rings are often associated with the earliest ceramics in North America, no ceramics were encountered in our excavations at Hokfv-Mocvse, and the only materials recovered were projectile points similar to points found over 300 km inland. Bayesian modeling of radiocarbon dates indicates that the ring was occupied between 5090 and 4735 cal BP (95% confidence), making it the earliest dated shell ring in the region. Additionally, shell geochemistry and oyster paleobiology data suggest that inhabitants were living at the ring year-round and had established institutions at that time to manage oyster fisheries sustainably. Hokfv-Mocvse therefore provides evidence for Indigenous people settling in year-round villages and adapting to coastal environments in the region centuries before the adoption of pottery. The establishment of villages marks a visible archaeological shift toward settling down and occupying island ecosystems on a more permanent basis and in larger numbers than ever before in the region.

First identification of a Neanderthal bone spear point through an interdisciplinary analysis at Abric Romaní (NE Iberian Peninsula)

Osseous industry has been observed at an increasing number of Neanderthal sites. Bone fragments were used for practical purposes, and a range of bone shaping techniques were employed. The variability of bone tools observed in different assemblages reflects considerable functional diversity. However, no bone spear points have been reported from these contexts. A comprehensive analysis of a bone spear point from the Middle Palaeolithic site of Abric Romaní (Barcelona, Spain) is presented. Through an interdisciplinary, multi-technique, and multi-scale approach combining technology, taphonomy, and functional analysis, compelling evidence for manufacture, use, and hafting was uncovered. The specimen exhibits clear signs of intentional knapping. The presence of microscopic linear impact marks, an impact fracture at the tip and potential internal stress fractures indicate its use as a spear. Furthermore, the observed wear pattern and a morphological adjustment of the trabecular tissue support the hafting hypothesis. Abric Romaní contributes to our understanding of Neanderthal hunting behaviour and the significance of composite bone tools in their technological repertoire 50,000 years ago. This discovery highlights the flexibility and adaptability of Neanderthal technology, providing evidence of bone technology that is sometimes obscured in the archaeological record and offering valuable insights into their hunting strategies during the Middle Palaeolithic.

A macroevolutionary analysis of European Late Upper Palaeolithic stone tool shape using a Bayesian phylodynamic framework.

Phylogenetic models are commonly used in palaeobiology to study the patterns and processes of organismal evolution. In the human sciences, phylogenetic methods have been deployed for reconstructing ancestor-descendant relationships using linguistic and material culture data. Within evolutionary archaeology specifically, phylogenetic analyses based on maximum parsimony and discrete traits dominate, which sets limitations for the downstream role cultural phylogenies, once derived, can play in more elaborate analytical pipelines. Recent methodological advances in Bayesian phylogenetics, however, now allow us to infer evolutionary dynamics using continuous characters. Capitalizing on these developments, we here present an exploratory analysis of cultural macroevolution of projectile point shape evolution in the European Final Palaeolithic and earliest Mesolithic (approx. 15 000-11 000 BP) using a Bayesian phylodynamic approach and the fossilized birth-death process model. This model-based approach leaps far beyond the application of parsimony, in that it not only produces a tree, but also divergence times, and diversification rates while incorporating uncertainties. This allows us to compare rates to the pronounced climatic changes that occurred during our time frame. While common in cultural evolutionary analyses of language, the extension of Bayesian phylodynamic models to archaeology arguably represents a major methodological breakthrough.

Distinguishing Prehistoric Arrow Points from Dart Points in the Basin-Plateau Region

The replacement of the atlatl and dart weapon system with the bow and arrow system in the Basin-Plateau region was a significant technological event. Distinguishing dart points from arrow points is one component of understanding the timing of this event. Previous analyses demonstrated that size differences of shoulder widths distinguish dart from arrow points. However, neck width and thickness of a stone projectile point are better variables for differentiating arrow points from dart points because these variables directly relate to the attachment of a projectile point to a foreshaft or mainshaft. Because of overlaps in foreshaft diameters, projectile point neck widths, and thicknesses between darts and arrows, it is not always possible to separate projectile points into arrow points and dart points. In such cases, it is only possible to provide a probability estimate of correct classification for any individual specimen falling within the overlapping ranges.

New evidence for Neolithic occupation in north-west Arabia: Standing Stone Circles on the Harrat ‘Uwayrid

Recent archaeological investigations in AlUla County have provided the first detailed chrono-cultural evidence for long-term Neolithic domestic occupation in this archaeologically unknown region of north-west Arabia. This paper presents the preliminary findings drawn from multi-scalar datasets collected through extensive aerial and ground surveys, and the excavations of ‘monumental’ architectural installations, named in this study as ‘Standing Stone Circles’. These structures were individual dwellings, constructed in concentrations of varying numbers with associated domestic installations, such as hearths. The Standing Stone Cicle sites presented in this paper demonstrate a scale of Neolithic occupation not previously recognized in Saudi Arabia. These structures provide evidence of ongoing occupation throughout the 6th and 5th millennia BCE, concurrent with a general florescence of human activity across north-west Arabia. The faunal remains indicate a mixed subsistence economy, dominated by domesticates but supplemented by wild species. Broader considerations of the Neolithic economy, and models of pastoralism and mobility, are made possible on the basis of this, and the associated assemblages of stone artefacts and small finds. The data provided in this article offers a general picture of the Neolithic period in AlUla, addressing the significant geographical and temporal gaps within the archaeological knowledge of north-west Arabia. The identification of diagnostic Late Neolithic Levantine projectile point types, in conjunction with architectural parallels with the Levant, provides further insight into the origins of neolithization in north-west Arabia.

Exploring ten thousand years of variation in weapons technologies: A diachronic analysis of lithic projectile points in the puna de atacama (northern Chile)

This article presents an analysis of the functional design of a collection of 346 projectile points from archaeological sites in the Puna de Atacama (21.9°–24.7° S) that belong to the cultural sequence dating from 12,500–2400 yr BP, which ranges from the earliest groups to inhabit the area to the emergence of the first agro-pastoralist societies. The results obtained reveal significant changes in projectile or weapons technologies throughout the sequence. This begins with projectile points whose measurements point to the predominance of the spearthrower-dart system during the Early Archaic, followed by the diversification and specialization of these technologies during the Middle Archaic, with a significant increase in the use of throwing and thrusting spears. In the Late Archaic, projectile point dimensions diminished significantly, displaying patterns that remained until the Early Formative. Nevertheless, during this last period some measurements decreased slightly, and a major change is detected in the haft width of stemmed points. Three alternate hypotheses are proposed for these last changes: 1) the presence of the bow-and-arrow system from the late Archaic onward; 2) the appearance of the bow-and-arrow system from the Early Formative only; 3) the reduction and standardization of spearthrower-darts, without the presence of the bow-and-arrow system until after the Early Formative. We argue that the first two hypotheses are the most plausible, although we consider the first to be the most likely.

Preliminary Insights from Las Chachalacas (SON S:8:004): A Pleistocene-Holocene Occupation Record from Quiriego, Sonora, Mexico

This article summarizes recent work at the site of Las Chachalacas, located in the Municipio of Quiriego, southern Sonora. Set within the western foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental, Las Chachalacas was adjacent to an arroyo that periodically became impounded, producing a marsh like environment. Stratigraphic associations and a minimal number of 14C dates suggest the site was regularly utilized from the terminal Pleistocene through the Early Agricultural period. Results contribute to several enduring debates in the North American Southwest regarding Pleistocene landscape use, demographic continuity through the Holocene Climatic Optimum (7500–5000 cal BP), the sequence of mobility and subsistence changes in the Archaic/Early Agricultural periods, and the identities of the earliest farmers indexed by material culture such as projectile points.

PROJECTILE Point Stem Repairs. Some Examples from Southeastern South America

ABSTRACT This study explores the reworking of projectile point stems by hunter-gatherers in southeastern South America. Techniques employed to rework stems included pressure and percussion flaking and, eventually, light abrasion of fractured sections, methods that were applied opportunistically to resolve various types of stem fractures. Although the local literature has often overlooked the presence of reworked stems, it appears that point rebasing was a relatively common practice in the region, especially for points made from microcrystalline rocks and other highly silicified rocks. The reworking of points was likely carried out to preserve high-quality raw materials and to reduce the cost of manufacturing new points. Although the recognition of reworked stems can be challenging, it is a crucial task for subsequent morphometric and stylistic analysis. This allows for the identification of one of the sources of point variation thus avoiding an artificial increase in the variability of the original designs.

Obsidian-tipped Spears from the Admiralty Islands in the Oceania Collection of the Museum of Ethnography in Budapest

The authors studied 36 obsidian-tipped spears in the Oceania collection of the Museum of Ethnography in Budapest. In addition to describing the objects from the Admiralty Islands collected before 1897, the paper provides a summary of the related ethnographic information, including the technological and technical details of spear point making and the characterisation of the obsidian raw material used.The blades used for making the obsidian points presented in this study showed no sign of standardisation (an indicator of advanced blade technology) in the spear point-making process. According to 19th-century ethnographic sources, the functional part of the points was the most important, and much time and effort were invested in ensuring that the blades were effective weapons. Later, as a sign of decline, primary production of obsidian blades ceased, and manufacturers started scavenging old artefacts and utilising waste and by-products. As a result, the blades decreased in size and became more irregular, and an increasingly large number included parts of the cortex, the crust of obsidian. After 1911, the relative importance of decoration increased, and the type became more standardised.The irregular shape of the spear points presented in the study and the thin, weak shafts with an awkward curvature raise questions about whether the spears were actual weapons. At the same time, the artistic decoration of the mounting sockets and ethnographic parallels suggest that the pieces in the collection were likely status objects instead.

Technological and Protein Residue Analysis on Ancient Stemmed Projectile Points of the Southern Andes Highlands

ABSTRACT We present the results of technological and protein residue analyses of the lithic assemblages recovered at the Pedernales-38 site (26.5°S; 69°W), located in the highlands of the southern Andes (3380 masl). Based on a reconstruction of the operational chains and the differential representation of their phases, we suggest that the final production, use, maintenance, and discard of large stemmed projectile points occurred at the site. Of the assemblage studied, nine (9) projectile points and one end-scraper were subjected to residue analysis using cross-over immunoelectrophoresis (CIEP). Four positive reactions to antisera of human, camelid (guanaco or vicuña) and canid (Andean fox) were recorded. The results are discussed based on the depositional context and the structure of the archeological record. We propose that Pedernales projectile points were mainly used in hunting weapons to capture wild camelids during the seasonal occupation of the Andes highlands.

Initial Upper Palaeolithic material culture by 45,000 years ago at Shiyu in northern China.

The geographic expansion of Homo sapiens populations into southeastern Europe occurred by ∼47,000 years ago (∼47 ka), marked by Initial Upper Palaeolithic (IUP) technology. H. sapiens was present in western Siberia by ∼45 ka, and IUP industries indicate early entries by ∼50 ka in the Russian Altai and 46-45 ka in northern Mongolia. H. sapiens was in northeastern Asia by ∼40 ka, with a single IUP site in China dating to 43-41 ka. Here we describe an IUP assemblage from Shiyu in northern China, dating to ∼45 ka. Shiyu contains a stone tool assemblage produced by Levallois and Volumetric Blade Reduction methods, the long-distance transfer of obsidian from sources in China and the Russian Far East (800-1,000 km away), increased hunting skills denoted by the selective culling of adult equids and the recovery of tanged and hafted projectile points with evidence of impact fractures, and the presence of a worked bone tool and a shaped graphite disc. Shiyu exhibits a set of advanced cultural behaviours, and together with the recovery of a now-lost human cranial bone, the record supports an expansion of H. sapiens into eastern Asia by about 45 ka.

New Evidences of Early Peopling of Central Patagonia: A Discoidal Stone and the First Fishtail Projectile Point from Chubut Province (Argentina, South America)

ABSTRACT In this paper, two new artifacts, a Fishtail projectile (or Fell 1) point and a discoidal stone from central Patagonia, Argentina, are presented. These pieces, mainly associated with the initial peopling of South America, come from an area in which until now no artifacts of this type had been recovered. Both instruments, which were part of the technological equipment of Paleoamericans, are complete. The projectile point is made of light brown translucent opal, and the discoidal stone is made of rhyolite, an acidic volcanic rock. Three-dimensional models of the instruments are presented with the aim of providing a detailed and precise record of both lithic pieces. These archaeological artifacts give information on the geographical distribution of indicators of initial human presence and the use of space during the Pleistocene–Holocene transition in central Patagonia, in the south of South America.

Cleaning Up California Culture History: The Malaga Cove Leaf Projectile Point Type

ABSTRACT The Malaga Cove Leaf projectile point was originally defined based on three specimens from CA-LAN-138, the Malaga Cove Site, and nine from other sites in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. The point’s time range was somewhat ambiguous, and it showed a wide range of sizes and weights. A larger sample of 151 points, including the original Malaga Cove specimens along with points from two single-component sites in San Luis Obispo County (CA-SLO-9 and CA-SLO-239), one ethnographic village (CA-SLO-51/H), and two multi-component sites (CA-SLO-2 and CA-SLO-585) was evaluated here. Based on measurements (weights and the Hildebrandt-King Index), we show that the Malaga Cove Leaf can be divided into two size-based subtypes: a smaller variant associated with bow and arrow and dating ca. 600–120 cal BP, and a larger subtype used with a different pre-arrow weapon system, dating ca. 1,700–560 cal BP.

Lithic projectile points from Mexico of the collection at the Museum of Ethnography in Budapest

The America Collection of the Museum of Ethnography in Budapest houses two smaller lithic assemblages. These assemblages, in addition to various chipped stone tools mostly made of obsidian, also contain bifacially manufactured projectile points. According to the available data, the smaller assemblage originates from San Juan Teotihuacan (Mexico State, Central Mexico). The exact origin of the larger assemblage is unknown, but indirect evidence suggests that it comes partly from the area of Teotihuacan and partly the Oaxaca Valley (Oaxaca State, Southern Mexico). This paper determines the projectile points that can be analysed with sufficient certainty based on the typology lists available to the author.

The Early PPNB of Amqa (Upper Galilee, Israel) from a Regional Perspective

Abstract. Salvage excavations at the site of Amqa (upper Galilee, Israel) revealed a rich PPN occupation layer confined to a natural bedrock depression covering ca. 25 m2. The finds present an intriguing combination of EPPNB traditions and PPNA elements, including a dominant component of imported bi-directional blade blanks and the prominent use of non-local pink/purple and beige flint types, as well as a significant microlithic component. Among the projectile points, Helwan points are the most common, with a notable presence of Khiam points and single examples of northern types, such as “Foliate”/“Nemrik” points and Hollow-based points. Reaping knives are abundant alongside finely denticulated sickle blades. Bifacial tools are thin and unpolished, some of them bearing tranchet removal scars. Long-distance contacts are indicated by a rich obsidian assemblage and by the presence of bifacial tools made of the green mineral nephrite. Although absolute dating could not be achieved due to the poor preservation of organic material, the site of Amqa presents a notable addition to the discussion of early Neolithic dynamics and settlement patterns in the southern Levant. This paper presents the site of Amqa and the analyses of the material culture reflected through the finds and discusses its contribution to the regional debate regarding the onset of “Neolithic lifeways” in our region.