Projectiles Under a New Angle: a Ballistic Analysis Provides an Important Building Block to Grasp Paleolithic Weapon Technology

The effect of edge serration on the performance of stone-tip projectiles: an experimental case study of the Maros Point from Holocene South Sulawesi

“…For instance, the Hadza of Tanzania uses bows with a draw weight that can reach up to 100 lb (45 kg) (Roth 2004), while the New Guinean hunting bow is estimated to have a 80-90 lbs draw weight (36-41 kg) (Cattelain 1997). Archaeologically, the draw weights of Neolithic bow have been estimated to between 24 and 84 lbs, which are in line with the ethnographic range (Junkmanns 2013;Coppe et al 2022).…”

“…With higher projectile impact speeds, it is anticipated that these differences in macrofracture size and frequency would persist, if not widen (Iovita et al 2014), which could affect the durability and reusability of the two arrow types. Other factors that influence the size of macrofracture scars and hence point durability include the angle of incidence, which would have also depended on the projectile impact velocity and the propulsion system (Coppe et al 2022). Related to this, a higher percentage of the non-serrated arrows was broken than the serrated points after firing at the targets containing skin and/ or bone.…”

“…In this vein, the small and thin profile and the triangular form of the Maros points may support the possibility that these serrated points functioned as arrowheads rather than tips of thrown darts. However, the identification of weapon velocity and projection system among archaeological stone points remains a contentious matter (Hutchings 2016;Newman and Moore 2013), and further studies are needed to clarify the delivery system associated with the Maros points of Sulawesi through multiple lines of evidence (Coppe et al 2022;Maloney et al 2022).…”

Static penetration assessment of stone weapon tip geometry metrics and comparison of static and dynamic penetration depths

“…Attack strategy presumably played a role as well: single person or group; ambush, intercept, persistence, or tracking; and so on (e.g., Hitchcock et al, 2019; Liebenberg, 2006; Lombard & Churchill, 2022). The type of weapon system in use—whether it be thrown spears, the dart and atlatl, or bow and arrow—would have also impacted penetration efficacy (e.g., Clarkson, 2016; Coppe et al, 2019, 2022; Eren et al, 2021; Iovita et al, 2014, Iovita & Sano, 2016; Lombard, 2022; Lombard & Shea, 2021). Variations within a weapon system, such as projectile weight, use of poison, type of wood used for shafts, or lashings, would have affected the penetration of a launched projectile into a target, or even whether a projectile needed to penetrate a target as opposed to merely grazing it (e.g., Bergman et al, 1988; Bradfield et al, 2015; Cheshier & Kelly, 2006; Eren, Mukusha, et al, 2022; Milks, 2022; Osborn, 2016; see also Lombard, 2020).…”

Experimental assessment of obsidian versus chert lanceolate projectile point durability and robusticity: Semi‐static fracture strength and dynamic impact

“…Stone‐tipped weaponry was integral to the survival and subsistence of past peoples around the world (e.g., Coppe et al, 2019, 2022; Iovita & Sano, 2016; Jennings et al, 2021; Knecht, 1997; Milks, 2018; Schoville et al, 2017; Shea, 2006; Smallwood, 2015; Smith et al, 2020; Smith & DeWitt, 2017; Waguespack et al, 2009; Wilkins et al, 2014). The design of stone tips in different times and places likely depended, at least partially, on the functional performance needs or preferences of past individuals or groups (e.g., Christenson, 1986; Hughes, 1998; Vierra & Heilen, 2020).…”