Projectile Points Research Articles

Large-scale trapping features from the Great Basin, USA: The significance of leadership and communal gatherings in ancient foraging societies

In the Great Basin, large-scale trapping features designed to capture multiple artiodactyls include fences or drive lines and corrals with associated wings. More than 100 of these features are known in the Great Basin. An experimental project confirms that these features must have been built through group effort. The marked concentration of large-scale trapping features in western and eastern Nevada may be explained by ecological factors such as the presence of migrating herds of ungulates, nearby toolstone sources, pinyon nuts, and water. The proliferation of large-scale trapping feature planning and construction beginning ca. 5000 to 6000 years ago is supported by studies of trap-associated projectile points and rock art. Initial construction of traps may have been sparked by human population increases that created new challenges and encouraged the development of new sociological and ecological adaptations.

Krzemienne zbrojniki broni miotanej z ziemi chełmińskiej w świetle analiz traseologicznych i badań eksperymentalnych

In this paper we describe an experiment designed to give a basis for a detailed classification of use-wear traces formed on flint projectile points, resulting from hitting of different types of organic and inorganic materials. We aim for verification of the existing findings in this matter, with particular attention devoted to microscopic damage (microcrush-outs, polish and striations). The list of traces characteristic for projectile points is formed mainly basing on morphology (current microscopic observations) and only indirectly on functional classification. In the course of our experiment 122 arrowhead replicas were used: 33 points, 31 arrowheads with bifacial surface retouch, 26 trapezes and 16 composite arrowheads (made of a lateral inset/barb and point inset each). Our classification includes 22 diagnostic features, divided into 4 main groups: fractures, retouching, polish and striations. Among fractures most characteristic were the complex splintered ones as well as certain types of fractures with retouch (especially those with spin-off spalls). Among the retouched ones and crush-outs the most abundant ones exhibited microburin and spin-off spalls, though retouches such as: toothed, splintered, post-impact and splintered near the holder were considered as important, too. Attention was also paid to slanting edge retouch, which is not found on other types of functional tools. Among different types of polish special attention was given to those formed as a result of a tool’s rapid friction against a hard material at the point of impact. Prime importance was given to patch-like and linear polish; large significance was also given to specific types of ridge and edge polish. Linear traces were found to be of little use for the interpretation of a missile weapon’s insets function. Our observations suggest that the identification of prehistoric projectile points may require a much more precise analysis than those hitherto conducted. Relying solely on the basic types of post-impact traces is inadequate. Traces of this type are in fact only present on a small percentage of the total number of insets. In addition, some kinds of them formed only in specific circumstances, in which both the type of arrowhead and the kind of target were of importance. Information obtained through the experiment and traceological research was used for the analysis of archaeologically obtained arrowhead insets. These are dated from Terminal Palaeolithic to Early Bronze Age and they came from sites located in the north-eastern parts of the Polish Plain.

Projectile insets and backed pieces from the Upper Magdalenian of La Madeleine (Tursac, Dordogne, France), new data from lithic technology

The technological and morphological reviewing of the backed bladelets and lithic points from the Peyrony and Bouvier series led us to question the status and role of these particular objects in the hunting equipment of the last Magdalenian people.Firstly, from a technological view point, a great flexibility in the production schemes characterizes the conception of backed bladelets as the methods of debitage and transformation of blanks into backed pieces vary but follow the same strict criteria as to their aim.Bladelet debitage at La Madeleine clearly aims at the production of tapered blanks, a complementary retouch adjusting the outline of the objects if necessary (edge, proximal or distal extremities). In some cases, this complementary retouch clearly modifies the blank morphology and could then take part in the making of particular types of backed bladelets. The schemes of retouch of these objects evolve progressively but clearly during the occupation of the shelter. The evolution of the lithic insets retouch schemes is clearly more effective during the Magdalenian V and VI, when first curved-backed points, then shouldered points are made, and harpoon technology develops in antler working, emphasizing the evolution in the conception of the hunting equipment. This evolution could be the result of a change in status of previous conceptions of projectile points, which no longer represent the only technical options. The greater care taken in the shaping of some bladelets could come within the intent of better defining the role of the hunting equipment existing before the introduction of new projectile points. Their evolution could then be part of a global modification of Magdalenian hunting equipment and capture techniques.

A Fluted Projectile Point from Crystal Cove State Park, Orange County, Alta California

Fluted projectile points are rarely found along the California coast. Only three have been previously documented, one from northern California and two from southern California. A fourth found in Orange County is reported here. This isolated artifact made of local material suggests a Clovis presence along the California littoral at the end of the Pleistocene. We re-examine the evidence of Clovis in California in light of the early occupation of Santarosae Island and explore the possible relationship between Clovis and the Late Pleistocene occupation of the Santa Barbara Channel Islands.

A Critical Ethnography of Sex Offender TreatmentHound Pound Narrative: Sexual Offender Habilitation and the Anthropology of Therapeutic Intervention. By James B. Waldram. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2012.

Aimers, James J., ed. 2012. Ancient Maya pottery: classification, analysis, and interpretation. Gainesville: University Press of Florida. Miller, Daniel, and Sophie Woodward, eds. 2011. Global denim. New York: Berg. Pool, Christopher A., and George J. Bey III, eds. 2007. Pottery economics in Mesoamerica. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. Tilley, Christopher, Webb Keane, Susanne Kuechler-Fogden, Michael J. Rowlands, and Patricia Spyer, eds. 2006. Handbook of material culture. London: Sage. Wengrow, David D. 2008. Prehistories of commodity branding. Current Anthropology 49(1):7–34. West, Georgia. 2002. Ceramic exchange in the late classic and postclassic Maya lowlands: a diachronic approach. In Ancient Maya political economies. Marilyn A. Masson and David Freidel, eds. Pp. 140–196. New York: Altamira. Wiessner, Polly. 1983. Style and social information in Kalahari San projectile points. American Antiquity 48(2):253–276.

Evidence for Early Hafted Hunting Technology

Hafting stone points to spears was an important advance in weaponry for early humans. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that ~500,000-year-old stone points from the archaeological site of Kathu Pan 1 (KP1), South Africa, functioned as spear tips. KP1 points exhibit fracture types diagnostic of impact. Modification near the base of some points is consistent with hafting. Experimental and metric data indicate that the points could function well as spear tips. Shape analysis demonstrates that the smaller retouched points are as symmetrical as larger retouched points, which fits expectations for spear tips. The distribution of edge damage is similar to that in an experimental sample of spear tips and is inconsistent with expectations for cutting or scraping tools. Thus, early humans were manufacturing hafted multicomponent tools ~200,000 years earlier than previously thought.

A New Look at the Besant Phase in the Eastern Slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains

The Besant phase is a Late Middle Precontact culture lasting from ca. 2,200 to 1,200 years ago, and found throughout the northern Plains region. Although sites attributed to the Besant phase have been recorded in the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta since the 1960s, its presence there is not well understood. The conventional view of the Besant phase in Alberta is that it appears rarely in the Eastern Slopes, where it is confined to the foothills of the southern drainages. However, this model does not account for the growing number of sites found elsewhere in the Canadian Rocky Mountains over the last three decades. The present research uses a regional approach to document all known locations of Besant projectile points and sites recorded in the Eastern Slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Archaeological data indicating that people affiliated with the Besant phase used the Eastern Slopes from the foothills to the main ranges, and from the Waterton River drainage to the Smoky River drainage are presented and evaluated. The results expand our understanding of the Besant culture and its adaptation to mountain regions.

A CODY COMPLEX SITE ON THE SOUTHERN PRAIRIE PLAINS

Two diagnostic Cody complex artifacts were found in an upland setting in Washita County, west central Oklahoma. These artifacts, a Firstview point made of Edwards chert and a Scottsbluff point made of obsidian, provide clues to activities and land use of Cody complex people in this region where such evidence is limited and only minimally reported. The typological significance of some Cody complex projectile point attributes including basal form and flaking patterns are discussed with reference to the Flaming site artifacts. Models for long-distance transport of lithic materials and land use patterns are also presented with reference to the lithic sources represented at the Flaming site. This surface assemblage also includes a few flakes and tools and the site may represent a bison kill location, but no faunal evidence is preserved.

Beveled Projectile Points and Ballistics Technology

AbstractExplanations for beveled blade edges on projectile points have been debated in North America archaeology since the first systematic description oflithic assemblages in the nineteenth century. Debate has centered around two opposing perspectives. One views beveled edges as features of projectile points that cause them to spin during flight. The other views beveling as a product of edge resharpening that is done unifacially to conserve scarce resources. Here we use a fluid-dynamics model to simulate the effect beveling has on projectiles. Expectations derived from this modeling are evaluated using windtunnel experiments. Our findings indicate that beveling produces in-flight rotation that serves as a means of increasing accuracy in relatively low-velocity flight paths.

Social work in Africa: exploring culturally relevant education and practice in Ghana

Preface Introduction Environment: Modern and Early Holocene Hunter-Gatherer Land Use, Lithic Technology, and Late Paleoindian Occupation of the Project Area Projectile Point Analysis Procedure Late Paleoindian Projectile Point Typology in the Western United States Late Paleoindian Projectile Points: Typological Variability Late Paleoindian Projectile Points: Raw Material Variability Late Paleoindian Projectile Points: Qualitative Technological Variability Late Paleoindian Projectile Points: Quantitative Technological Variability Late Paleoindian Projectile Points: Condition and Reworking Discussion and Conclusions.

Distinguishing Between Darts and Arrows in the Archaeological Record: Implications for Technological Change in the American West

AbstractWe propose a new method for differentiating archaeological atlatl darts from arrow points. Our dart-arrow index accurately distinguishes known (hafted) archaeological examples of darts and arrows. We find that ethnographic collections of hafted arrows used by previous researchers are problematic, and should not be used as control samples for differentiating darts from arrows. We use the dart-arrow index to reassess the projectile points described by Ames et al. (2010). The analysis shows that Hatwai Eared (4400–2800 B.P.) and Cascade (8500–4500 B.P.) points were darts, not arrows as Ames et al. argue, and that a major revision of the history of bow-and-arrow technology in western North America is unnecessary.

Late Holocene Lithic Procurement Strategies in the Northwestern Great Basin: The View from Paiute Creek Shelter, Nevada

We present source provenance data from a sample of obsidian projectile points and unmodified flakes from Paiute Creek Shelter (PCS), a site in Nevada's Black Rock Desert that was first occupied 4,700 calendar years ago (cal BP). Significant differences between the source profiles of earlier (pre-1,450 cal BP) and later (post-1,450 cal BP) occupations suggest that toolstone procurement strategies changed over time at PCS. Before 1,450 cal BP, there was a heavy reliance on local toolstone directly procured from nearby sources. Although local toolstone remained important after 1,450 cal BP, non-local toolstone became more common at PCS, highlighting increased interactions with neighboring populations. The shift in toolstone use at PCS is but one of many changes in the archaeological record of the northwestern Great Basin after 1,500 cal BP.

Clovis Age Western Stemmed Projectile Points and Human Coprolites at the Paisley Caves

The Paisley Caves in Oregon record the oldest directly dated human remains (DNA) in the Western Hemisphere. More than 100 high-precision radiocarbon dates show that deposits containing artifacts and coprolites ranging in age from 12,450 to 2295 (14)C years ago are well stratified. Western Stemmed projectile points were recovered in deposits dated to 11,070 to 11,340 (14)C years ago, a time contemporaneous with or preceding the Clovis technology. There is no evidence of diagnostic Clovis technology at the site. These two distinct technologies were parallel developments, not the product of a unilinear technological evolution. "Blind testing" analysis of coprolites by an independent laboratory confirms the presence of human DNA in specimens of pre-Clovis age. The colonization of the Americas involved multiple technologically divergent, and possibly genetically divergent, founding groups.

Early human occupation of Uruguay: Radiocarbon database and archaeological implications

The early human occupation of the territory between the Uruguay River and the Atlantic Coast occurred from ca 11 ka to 7 ka BP. In four millennia, environmental and cultural changes occurred, with better conditions for human life and the end of the megamammal extinction process. The climate became warmer and more humid. The lowlands covered very extensive areas, and the sea level and coastlines changed, producing ecotonal zones with high productivity. This process originated the La Plata River of today.Environmental conditions and social processes are well combined in this successful human colonization. Corporate groups of dynamic hunter–gatherers built an extended social interaction sphere and produced new tool kits for human work. The emergence of variability in lithic projectile points is the material correlation of the technological adaptation to a new environmental condition.The radiocarbon database for Uruguay is adequate, although a little limited for the Atlantic coast. There are several independent lines of evidence toward discussion of hunter–gatherer modes of production and a dispersal model for the Atlantic side of South America. This paper explores information about covariant transformations (in landscape occupation and in way of life) as well as analyzing the role played by the Atlantic coast in human expansion.

A Thousand Years of Lost Hunting Arrows: Wood Analysis of Ice Patch Remains in Northwestern Canada

Discussions of the development of past hunting equipment generally focus on lithic and bone projectile points and foreshafts, as these are often the only elements remaining in archaeological sites. In the last 15 years, the archaeology of alpine ice patches has provided a unique opportunity to analyze hunting equipment over time and gain knowledge of the wooden elements on which the points are hafted. This paper describes the wood and morphometrical analysis of a collection of 27 arrow shafts from two ice patch regions of the western Canadian Subarctic. In both regions, two main categories of arrow shafts show the selection of specific pieces of wood, spruce ( Picea sp.) on the one hand and birch ( Betula sp.) on the other, with associated morphometrical characteristics. These shafts also share some characteristics that are distinct from those of Arctic and coastal arrow shafts. Shafts of pine ( Pinus sp. sec. ponderosa ) and hemlock ( Tsuga sp.) were also identified in the southwestern Yukon Territory. The absence of correlation between the arrow shaft types and 14C dating raises the question of the significance of the arrow types and the potential for function, trade, or travel to explain the variation.

Flake scar patterns of Clovis points analyzed with a new digital morphometrics approach: evidence for direct transmission of technological knowledge across early North America

Clovis points are the principal diagnostic artifacts of a Clovis complex that spread across North America between ca. 11,050–10,800 radiocarbon years before present. Clovis may be the best documented Paleoamerican culture in North America, but much remains to be learned about the movement and interactions of Clovis peoples. Similarities among Clovis points from geographically diverse locations have led some researchers to suggest that a uniform projectile point technology existed across North America during Clovis times. Others have rejected this idea, proposing local and independent technological adaptations to different regional environments. To investigate these ideas, we used digital morphometrics to analyze 50 Clovis points from nine different contexts. First, 3D surface models of the points were created with a portable laser scanner. Next, these models were digitally cross-sectioned through both faces, yielding two-dimensional isoheight contours of flake scar patterns that reflect the original reduction techniques used to shape the projectile points. In the final step, the contours were transformed with elliptic Fourier analysis into Fourier coefficient series, and patterns of variation and symmetry were explored with principal components analysis. When compared to modern Clovis point replicas made by an expert knapper, the flake scar contours of the ancient Clovis points showed little morphological variation and a large degree of bifacial symmetry. Our results support the existence of a widespread standardized “Clovis” knapping technique, most likely transmitted through direct interaction between knappers from different groups.

The Prehistoric Cave Art and Archaeology of Dunbar Cave, Montgomery County, Tennessee

1 Abstract: Dunbar Cave in Montgomery County, Tennessee has been used by people in a great variety of ways. This paper reports on prehistoric uses of the cave, which were quite varied. The vestibule of the cave, which is today protected by a concrete slab installed during the cave's days as an historic tourist showplace, saw extensive and very long term occupation. Diagnostic artifacts span the period from Late Paleo-Indian (ca.10,000-years ago) to the Mississippian, and include Archaic (10,000 to 3,000-years ago) and Woodland (3,000-1,000-years ago) cultural materials. These include a paleoindian Beaver Lake Point, Kirk cluster points, Little River types, Ledbetter types, numerous straight-stemmed point types, Hamilton and Madison projectile points. Woodland period ceramics comprise various limestone tempered forms, all in low quantities, and cord-marked limestone tempered wares in the uppermost Woodland layers. Shell-tempered ceramics bear witness to a rich Mississippian presence at the top of the deposit. Given this chronological span, the Dunbar Cave sequence is as complete as any in eastern North America. However, problems with previous excavation strategies make much of the existing archaeological record difficult to interpret. We present a new series of radiocarbon age determinations that show both the great time depth of the vestibule deposits and the problems with their integrity. There was also extensive prehistoric use of Dunbar Cave's dark zone, including mineral extraction, and ritual interment of the dead. Most importantly, thirty-five petroglyphs and pictographs were made on the cave walls, most probably during the Mississippian period. These include geometric shapes, abstract compositions, and human figures including a mythological hero warrior known from other examples of Mississippian iconography. Dunbar may also have seen ritual visitation very early, i.e., during the Archaic period (ca. 5,000-years ago), entailing the placement of offerings in the cave's interior waters.

Preliminary results of studies of the Valea Morilor Upper Palaeolithic site (Chişinău, Republic of Moldova): A new camp of mammoth hunters

Preliminary results are presented from the studies of a newly found Paleolithic site – Valea Morilor (Chişinău, Republic of Moldova). The excavations produced unquestionable evidence of mammoth hunting (Mammuthus primigenius Blumenbach, 1799). Excavations of 2009–2010 opened an area of 1264 m2. Three radiocarbon datings (14C) of the fragments of fossil bones of mammots performed in the Gröningen University gave very similar results: in the excavation sector Nr.1 - 20770 ± 90 BP (GrA-46004;Obadă and van der Plicht, 2010); the sector Nr.2 - 20570 ± 80 BP (GrA-52424); and the sector Nr.3 - 20560 ± 80 BP (GrA-52425). Faunal remains are represented by more than 550 mammoth bones (belonging to at least 6 animals), as well as bones of bison (Bison priscus Bojanus, 1827), small mammals [Ochotona pusilla?; Spalax zemni Erxleben, 1777; Lagurus lagurus (Pallas, 1773)] and terrestrial molluscs Helicopsis striata (Mull.), Pupilla muscorum (L.), Vallonia pulchella (Mull.), and Succinea oblonga (Drap.).The assemblage of lithic tools includes 72 objects made of flint, 7 sandstone pebbles, and one made of white quartz. It seems likely that at least one wind-break (shelter) was constructed by the site dwellers. Numerous bones bear traces of cutting, splinting, grinding, and scraping. Darts and spear points found in the vicinity of large bones suggest the weapons deeply penetrated into the animals' soft tissues, and indicate that the Paleolithic inhabitants of the site actively hunted mammoths. A mammoth's elbow bone (ulna) was pierced with some weapon.

Asphaltum hafting and projectile point durability: an experimental comparison of three hafting methods

The design of a projectile delivery system often plays a critical role in the durability and breakage patterns associated with spent projectile points. This paper presents the results of an experimental project designed to examine projectile point durability and breakage patterns between three different hafting methods. Specifically, we compare two asphaltum hafting techniques drawn from archaeological and ethnohistoric accounts from the Central Valley of California with a more stereotypical cross-hatched sinew hafting system. Our results suggest a small yet statistically significant increase in durability among asphaltum hafted points, opening the door to future research on these ethnohistorically documented hafting techniques.

Size and Shape Variation in Late Holocene Projectile Points of Southern Patagonia: A Geometric Morphometric Study

AbstractSince the beginning of systematic archaeological studies in southern Patagonia (Argentina and Chile), projectile points have played an important role as cultural markers. A sequence of projectile point types was established according to their changes in size and shape. These stone tools, along with others cultural evidences, served to differentiate a series of “culturai periods” which were, for decades, the frame of reference to understand the cultural evolution in southernmost Patagonia. Although later researches have questioned several of these assumptions, the classical typology of projectile points continued in use until the present day. The goal of this work is to evaluate size and shape variation in two late Holocene projectile point types, known as Fell, Bird, or Magallanes IV and V points or Patagónicas and Ona points, respectively. These two types are compared using geometric morphometries and multivariate statistical analyses. The reliability in the discrimination between types is tested at the light of reduction. The analyses have shown a major incidence of reduction on shape rather than on size, and on blade rather than on stem. However, in average, types IV and V can be distinguished in terms of size, and stem shape despite reduction. Thus, even though successive cycles of use, damage and resharpening have a great influence over size and shape of projectile points, resharpening techniques are specific enough to maintain the differences of size and shape between types, a pattern that is probably related with functional requirements.