Projectile technology

rojectiles take a particular position within Palaeolithic studies because their initial introduction and the development of long-range hunting weaponry are considered to have significantly impacted human subsistence strategies. In most cases, the key elements of hunting equipment have disappeared as they were manufactured out of organic material, and stone points are the only evidence that is left. Accurate identification of lithic projectile armatures and the ability to determine with which weapons they were delivered are therefore important challenges and remain a matter of considerable debate. TraceoLab contributes to the efforts to recognise archaeological projectiles reliably and to gain knowledge about the details of their functioning through use-wear analysis.

The way a projectile point breaks upon impact can be observed through macroscopic and microscopic optical analysis, and certain damage patterns can be diagnostic of impact. In our projectile analyses, we emphasise the use of different scales of observation and thorough damage attribute recording in documenting and interpreting sets of wear features. Combined with extensive experimentation, these principles allow us to overcome problems of equifinality in trace formation and to reach reliable projectile identifications as well as detailed reconstructions of the hafting systems of prehistoric armatures. We study both distally mounted weapon tips and laterally hafted projectile inserts and aim to understand why different designs were opted for in prehistory.

We use state-of-the-art equipment to study physical phenomena, to document experiments and to examine wear traces. These instruments include a universal testing machine to measure the resistance of projectile components and to produce particular forms of wear in a controlled setting, and a high-speed camera used for analysing projectile flight trajectories as well as fracture phenomena. We pay particular attention to ballistics in our research and build on the experience gained from a valuable collaboration with the ballistics laboratory of the Royal Military Academy.

With the help of the production and study of an extensive experimental projectile reference collection and input from the fields of fracture mechanics and ballistics, the TraceoLab team has proposed new solutions and interpretations in the last few years that contribute to the debate on the development of prehistoric weapon systems.

Our archaeological research has provided new insights into hunting technologies used in the Middle and Late Pleistocene in Africa and Europe. We have expanded the view of Lower Palaeolithic hunting weaponry by identifying a throwing stick at Schöningen and contributed to the view of Middle Stone Age hunting equipment in South Africa by documenting the use of serrated points during MIS 5 and quartz barbs in the Howiesons Poort at Sibudu Cave. Our work has shed light on weapon technology employed by Neanderthals and provided new data on variability in Upper Palaeolithic weapon designs.

Projectile technology

Further reading