PROJECTILE POINTS

PROJECTILE POINTS. Flint projectile points are among the more common artifacts of Native Americans found on archaeological sites. Such items are easily recognized and usually termed arrowheads. Archaeologists, however, prefer the term "projectile point" as a person cannot always tell if the point was used on an atlatl dart, spear point, or arrow point.

Projectile points vary in size, shape, and workmanship. From such characteristics, archaeologists are able to suggest the time period when certain types of points were used. The different styles of projectile points are characteristic of certain time periods and localities, and many sites where these have been found have been dated by radiocarbon methods. Consequently, the style or type of projectile point tends to be representative of a particular time period or cultural grouping.

Although some variations on style may represent that projectile points were used for different purposes, this has not been demonstrated. The idea that points of a certain shape were "war points," "fish arrows," "bird points," etc. is not supported by the archaeological record.

Dart points show enormous variation in form and workmanship. The smaller sized dart points overlap with the larger sized arrow points and usually a person cannot be certain with regard to the classification of a particular point. Most dart points, however, range from about 35 mm to 100 mm in length. Longer specimens, which are common, are usually termed "spearheads" by many writers but many of these are hafted knives or artifacts which served some special cultural function.

Dart points, either long or short, tend to have a wide stem or hafting area 10 mm or more in minimum width, for mounting on a heavy wooden shaft or dart fore-shaft. Arrowheads, on the other hand, tend to have a stem width less than 10mm, compatible with mounting on an arrow shaft.

Dart points appear earliest in the archaeological record and were used for several thousands of years before the bow and arrow became available. The use of the atlatl and dart continued after the availability of the bow and arrow, but were eventually abandoned. Dart points are associated with the Paleo-Indian, Archaic, Woodland periods. Their final use coincides with the first millennium AD.

Arrow points are small and light weight projectile points, usually less than 35 mm in length with a narrow stem or hafting width. They are commonly made from a thin flake in which the flake scar is still evident on one face of the point. These are commonly termed "bird points" among collectors but this is an error as the point size is not to be correlated with the size of the game being hunted. Plains Villagers, for example, used these small points for hunting bison and dart points were apparently not used at all for this purpose.

Large blocks of fine grained rock, often flint, were broken into cores. Platforms were shaped to concise angles allowing "spalls" to be struck off usually with a sandstone-like hammer stone. Photo courtesy: Rock Creek Park, Maryland

Gritty, shock absorbing sandstones were Stone Age favorites for working flint. The sharp edges of the spall were alternately flaked producing a more symetrically-shaped biface. This process is called "soft hammer" percussion. Photo courtesy: Rock Creek Park, Maryland

Some spalls were used "as is." Most, however, were used in the production of very specific tools and weapons. Many of the techniques used are very distinctive; the study of the processes is called "lithic technology."Photo courtesy: Rock Creek Park, Maryland

This "dressed" spall is now a biface. When Stone Age people visited quarries, they often concentrated their efforts on producing early stage bifaces. These were then taken to villages where they were worked into tools and weapons as needed. Caches of early stage bifaces are often found.Photo courtesy: Rock Creek Park, Maryland

In many cases, bifaces were used as cores. Whenever a sharp flint flake was needed, the "knapper" or person working the biface, reduced the thick biface to many pieces with sharp cutting edges.Photo courtesy: Rock Creek Park, Maryland

Bifaces could also be formed into knives, arrowheads, scrapers, or spearheads.Photo courtesy: Rock Creek Park, Maryland

Antlers were common pressure flaking tools. A leather pad protected the palm while the worker forced the antler tip against a small prepared platform. Many of the resulting flakes were reduced to dust.Photo courtesy: Rock Creek Park, Maryland

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Source:

All photographs, except when otherwise noted, were courtesy of Maquoketa Cave State Park

"Projectile Points," University of Oklahoma. Online: https://us.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?hspart=iry&hsimp=yhs-fullyhosted_011&type=mcy_dnldstrtst_16_53&param1=yhsbeacon&param2=f%3D4%26b%3DFirefox%26cc%3DUS%26p%3Dmcyahoo%26cd%3D2XzuyEtN2Y1L1Qzu0EyE0EyE0BtDyC0CtGyCtAzytCtGyD0AtD0DtG0Azz0B0EtGzy0ByCyE0EtD0EyE0DtD0F0BtN1L1G1B1V1N2Y1L1Qzu2S0CzztAtD0CtDyBtAtGyBzyyC0BtGyE0ByDtDtG0B0Azz0BtGtDtDtBtDzzyD0CtAzy0ByCtC2QtN1Q2Zzu0StCyEyCtCtN1L2XzutAtFyDtFzytFtCtN1L1Czu%26cr%3D190970851%26a%3Dmcy_dnldstrtst_16_53&p=Projectile+Points