Bowhunting in the Magdalenian? A tip cross-sectional area exploration of five antler point types from southwest France

Abstract

Over the past 40 years, several researchers have suggested that the bow-and-arrow may have been part of the Magdalenian hunting kit. Here, we present data for three Magdalenian sites (Isturitz, La Vache, La Madeleine) in southern France dating between ∼18.5 and ∼12.5 ka cal BP, assessing whether bowhunting can be supported or ruled out for these contexts. We use the ballistically relevant tip cross-sectional area approach as an investigative tool for exploring best-fit projectile categories and highlight confounding factors when using this approach in the dynamic Magdalenian context. Our results suggest that the bow-and-arrow may have been part of the hunting arsenal at the two Pyrenean sites of Isturitz and La Vache, but perhaps not at La Madeleine in the Dordogne. We discuss the assemblages in terms of climatic variation, topography, and their faunal assemblages, highlighting that the uniquely shaped Lussac-Angles points require further investigation regarding the possibility of bowhunting during the European Magdalenian.