Experiments with Spears and Arrows on Animal Targets

Slot-type fractures of the scapula at New Kingdom Tell El-Amarna, Egypt

“…A variety of experiments have previously demonstrated the ability of lithic projectiles to easily penetrate soft tissue of animals (Barton and Bergman, 1982;Fischer, 1985;Karger et al, 1998;Odell and Cowan, 1986;Shea, 2001) and Knight (1975) demonstrated that the single greatest obstacle to penetration of the human abdomen is the layer of skin. Smith et al, experimentally examined the penetration of animal scapulae using stone projectile points.…”

Re-examination of the Zone I Material from Tamar Hat (Algeria): Zooarchaeological and Technofunctional Analyses

“…These fractures present a facial position more significant than a lateral one. This last position, though less common, is recognized as being specific to impacts in violent launched percussion (Odell and Cowan 1986;Bergman and Newcomer 1983). Such a discrete presence can suggest the leaving behind or losing of fragments at the hunting location.…”

“…The basic characteristic of a facial fracture is that the failure of the extremity of the point is initiated through bending with propagation along one face, while a lateral failure propagates along one of the lateral edges of the point. These fractures are likely to relate to a violent axial impact, specific to the projectile points (Fischer et al 1984;Odell and Cowan 1986;Shea 2006). -Complex probable: All hinge or feather terminating bending fractures having a length less than 1.5 mm, provided they are associated with diagnostic edge damage patterns, suggesting use as a tip of projectile point.…”

“…Other authors attribute such modifications to the retooling of the haft (Keeley 1982;Odell 1981), but that seems dubious because this action requires a back and forth motion, whereas the crushed scars observed on our material would rather indicate a motion in one direction. Odell and Cowan (1986) attribute such alterations to a brief and violent contact with hard material such as bone or antler which is characteristic of projectile function. This last explanation seems more likely, since observed removals are contiguous and rarely superimposed, thus indicating a rapid contact with the material.…”

Métodos de talla y estrategias de reducción en la fabricación de foliáceos en el III milenio A.N.E. [Knapping methods and reduction strategies in leaf-like projectile production in the 3rd millennia B.C.E.]

“…Las fracturas provocadas en los proyectiles derivadas de su uso (impactos) han sido estudiadas a través de diferentes estudios experimentales, elaborándose un corpus para la caracterización de las fracturas (Cotterell & Kamminga 1979;1987) y más específicamente las generadas por impacto (e.g., Fischer et al 1984;Odell & Cowan 1986;Dockall 1997). No está entre nuestros objetivos hacer un análisis exhaustivo de las pruebas de impacto observadas en los proyectiles del yacimiento, sino sólo evidenciar que entre el repertorio de proyectiles recuperado existen claras evidencias de puntas que han sido utilizadas.…”