Beveled Projectile Points and Ballistics Technology

Carl P. Lipo · Robert C. Dunnell · Michael J. O’Brien · Veronica Harper · John Dudgeon

39 citations0/0 files storedAmerican Antiquity

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Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology Archaeological and Geological Studies Sports Dynamics and Biomechanics

Abstract

Abstract Explanations for beveled blade edges on projectile points have been debated in North America archaeology since the first systematic description oflithic assemblages in the nineteenth century. Debate has centered around two opposing perspectives. One views beveled edges as features of projectile points that cause them to spin during flight. The other views beveling as a product of edge resharpening that is done unifacially to conserve scarce resources. Here we use a fluid-dynamics model to simulate the effect beveling has on projectiles. Expectations derived from this modeling are evaluated using windtunnel experiments. Our findings indicate that beveling produces in-flight rotation that serves as a means of increasing accuracy in relatively low-velocity flight paths.

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References

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2019Linking late Paleoindian stone tool technologies and populations in North, Central and South America 2017Tracing social interactions in Pleistocene North America via 3D model analysis of stone tool asymmetry 2017Developing a stable point: Evaluating the temporal and geographic consistency of Late Prehistoric unnotched triangular point functional design in Midwestern North America 2015Transmission of Cultural Variants in the North American Paleolithic

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