Projectile point6/4/2023 ![]() ![]() The question of how to distinguish an arrow point from a point used on a larger projectile is non-trivial. Arrow points are smaller and lighter than dart points, and were used to tip arrows. Larger points were used to tip atlatl javelins or darts and spears. Projectile points fall into two general types: dart or javelin points and arrow points. Some of the more famous Paleo-Indian types include Clovis, Folsom and Dalton points. The oldest projectile points found in North America were long thought to date from about 13,000 years ago, during the Paleo-Indian period, however recent evidence suggests that North American projectile points may date to as old as 15,500 years. Chert, obsidian, quartzite, quartz, and many other rocks and minerals were commonly used to make points in North America. In North America, some late prehistoric points were fashioned from copper that was mined in the Lake Superior region and elsewhere.Ī large variety of prehistoric arrowheads, dart points, javelin points, and spear points have been discovered. ![]() In regions where metallurgy emerged, projectile points were eventually made from copper, bronze, or iron, though the change was by no means immediate. Scientific techniques exist to track the specific kinds of rock or minerals that were used to make stone tools in various regions back to their original sources.Īs well as stone, projectile points were also made of worked wood, bone, antler, horn, or ivory all of these are less common in the Americas. A distinctive form of point, identified though lithic analysis of the way it was made, is often a key diagnostic factor in identifying an archaeological industry or culture. They provide useful clues to the human past, including prehistoric trade. Stone tools, including projectile points, can survive for long periods, were often lost or discarded, and are relatively plentiful, especially at archaeological sites. They are thus different from weapons presumed to have been kept in the hand, such as knives, spears, axes, hammers, and maces. In North American archaeological terminology, a projectile point is an object that was hafted to a weapon that was capable of being thrown or projected, such as a javelin, dart, or arrow. Standard projectile point terminology used in describing Native American projectile points: a - point or tip, b-edge, c- blade or face, d - step, e - tang, f - base, g - notch, h - barb, i - shoulder. ![]()
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