Hunting lesions caused by osseous projectile points: experimental results and archaeological implications

Abstract

a b s t r a c tThe identification of projectile impact traces on archaeological faunal remains is an important issue for understanding prehistoric hunting behavior, especially in the Paleolithic and Mesolithic. From the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic in Europe, and earlier in Africa, projectiles tipped with osseous points were of great importance for subsistence; but thus far, no specific experimental reference has been developed to help identify the traces left by these points. In 2003 and 2004 two series of projectile experiments with antler points of Magdalenian design were organized, involving two ox calves and two female fallow deer as targets for bow and spearthrower shooting. The subsequent study demonstrates that positive identifications of impact traces left by osseous points can be made. The observation of 127 impact traces allowed us to distinguish three main types of traces: notches, punctures and perforations. The relationships between the nature of the impact traces and the (i) target species, (ii) characteristics of the impacted bones, and (iii) type of weapon are presented. Synthesized results are then discussed within the context of the European Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic.

Getting to the point: An experimental approach to improving the identification of penetrating projectile trauma to bone caused by medieval arrows

“…These findings are consistent with the types of damage seen on flat bone in prehistoric projectile experiments (Letourneux and Pétillon, 2008;Pétillon et al, 2011;Yeshurun and Yaroshevich, 2014). There are some notable differences between marks left by broadheads, bodkins, and barbed broadheads (Table 11), the most important being the shape and dimensions of the puncture defects, which conform more or less to the cross-section and size of the arrowheads: roughly lozenge-shaped or elliptical defects for the lozenge broadhead, square defects for the bodkin, and narrow, sharply pointed ellipsoid-shaped defects for the barbed broadhead.…”

“…Lesions designated as fractures only occurred when the arrow missed the centre of the scapula, struck the edge of the bone or spine, and dislodged a small or large piece of bone. As such, all the marks here categorised as fractures also fit the "notch" category defined by Letourneux and Pétillon (2008). The barbed broadhead, which had very sharp edges, was the only type to leave cut-like drag marks, and only in two cases-in one (Fig.…”

“…However, for the purposes of this study, it is the morphology of the bony lesions resulting from projectile impacts that are of. Recent years have seen several experiments focusing on the marks made on bone by prehistoric projectiles from bows and spearthrowers, with arrowheads made of stone (Castel, 2008;O'Driscoll and Thompson, 2014;Smith et al, 2007;Yeshurun and Yaroshevich, 2014), antler (Letourneux and Pétillon, 2008), and composite materials (Pétillon et al, 2011). Although these mostly focus on a prehistoric, zooarchaeological perspective, there are no similar studies on medieval projectile impacts, and so these experiments provide the only available comparable experimental data for the present article.…”

“…A comparison of the above experiments reveals a lack of consensus about how to describe and classify the injuries, which has led to many different terms and categories being used by different authors. Some of the terms used to describe the damage are notches (Letourneux and Pétillon, 2008;Pétillon et al, 2011;Yeshurun and Yaroshevich, 2014), striations (Yeshurun and Yaroshevich, 2014), cuts, crushing (Castel, 2008;Pétillon et al, 2011) scraping, splitting, dislocation (Castel, 2008), punctures and perforations (Castel, 2008;Letourneux and Pétillon, 2008;Pétillon et al, 2011), "penetration holes" (Yeshurun and Yaroshevich, 2014) or "full thickness punctures" (Smith et al, 2007), cracking (Castel, 2008;Letourneux and Pétillon, 2008) and embedded (or implantation of) a point or point fragments (Castel, 2008;Letourneux and Pétillon, 2008;Smith et al, 2007). Smith et al (2007) also observed internal bevelling on some of the experimentally produced defects, a type of damage characteristic of cranial entrance wounds from gunshots, where a projectile impact results in a defect that is larger internally than externally (Berryman and Symes, 1998;İşcan, 1998, 1999).…”

“…Several observations were added: maximum width and maximum depth and bone thickness, an average of 3-5 measurements taken along the sides of the lesion. Puncture wounds were also subdivided into partial punctures and perforations, the latter indicating a complete puncture or hole through the bone (after Letourneux and Pétillon, 2008). For perforations, the characteristics of the "internal" wound on the opposite surface from the impact were also described and recorded, with special attention given to presence and size of bevelling.…”