Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

Contributions to the Dart versus Arrow Debate: New Data from Holocene Projectile Points from Southeastern and Southern Brazil

Lithic bifacial points are very common in the southern and southeastern regions of the Brazilian territory. Dated from Early to Late Holocene, these artifacts have not been studied in terms of their propulsion system. Given the characteristics of the bow and arrow compared to the atlatl and dart, there are important differences in the size and weight of arrowheads and dart points. Applying the techniques proposed by Shott (1997)Shea JJ. 2006. The origins of lithic projectile point technology: evidence from Africa, the Levant, and Europe. J Archaeol Sci 33: 823-846., Bradbury (1997)Bradbury AP. 1997. The Bow and Arrow in the Eastern Woodlands: Evidence for an Archaic Origin. N Am Archaeol 18: 207-233., Fenenga (1953)Fenenga F. 1953. The weights of chipped stone points: A clue to their functions. Southwest J Anthrop 9: 309-323., Hughes (1998)Hughes S. 1998. Getting to the Point: Evolutionary Change in Prehistoric Weaponry. J Archaeol Method Th 1: 345-406., and Hildebrandt and King (2012)Hildebrandt WR and King JH. 2012. Distinguishing between Darts and Arrows in the Archaeological Record: Implications for Technological Change in the American West. Am Antiquity 77: 789-799. to specimens recovered from eight sites dating from the early to the late Holocene, this work aims to present preliminary results to better understand the potential presence of darts and arrows in southeastern and southern Brazil. There was a variation in the results according to the application of different techniques. At least one set of points, dated from the Early Holocene, presented quite a high proportion of specimens classified as arrows, indicating the presence of points that could be used as arrowheads.

archaeology; arrow; atlatl; bow; dart; Umbu Tradition


Academia Brasileira de Ciências Rua Anfilófio de Carvalho, 29, 3º andar, 20030-060 Rio de Janeiro RJ Brasil, Tel: +55 21 3907-8100 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brazil
E-mail: aabc@abc.org.br