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/lp/brill/identifying-bone-tipped-arrow-types-in-the-archaeological-record-of-RmthnFbdAB
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- Publisher
- Brill
- Copyright
- © Copyright 2015 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
- ISSN
- 1612-1651
- eISSN
- 2191-5784
- DOI
- 10.3213/2191-5784-10278
- Publisher site
- See Article on Publisher Site
Abstract
This study presents a historical review of the different types of southern African hunter-gatherer arrows employing a piece of bone situated at or near the tip of the arrow, which I call the apical bone component. The results of an extensive use-trace study of bone points and fragments thereof from twelve archaeological sites spanning the last 18,000 years show that it is possible to identify arrow types based on associated use-trace features. Five possible arrow types are identified from the archaeological sample, all dating to within the last 4000–6000 years. Using use-trace studies it is possible to identify now-missing components of the arrows, such as metal, mastic or stone inserts. Contrary to recent claims, I do not find evidence for bone-tipped arrows evolving along a continuum. Rather, some arrow types may have a much greater antiquity than previously thought.
Journal
Journal of African Archaeology – Brill
Published: Nov 1, 2015
Keywords: Use-traces; bone-tipped arrow identification; bone technology; South Africa and Lesotho Stone Age sequence