Do projectile points get cold? An experimental approach examining composite and stone projectile technology

Abstract

Researchers have noted that cold temperatures may have had an impact on hunter-gatherer decisions concerning raw material selection for projectile points. This line of reasoning has been used to explain the phenomenon of projectile points of different materials occurring during the same time period in archaeological contexts that exhibit extreme seasonality. Cold temperatures are assumed to affect cryptocrystalline brittle solids adversely, whereas organic and composite projectiles are more resilient. Here, an experiment was designed to test the brittleness of stone and antler composite projectile points subjected to different temperatures. It was demonstrated that cold temperatures do not impact projectile point brittleness. However, differences in projectile raw material type were found to fracture differentially suggesting other probable factors associated with projectile point raw material selection.