Dataset for Sitton et al. 2020, Scientific Reports, "Tip cross-sectional geometry predicts the penetration depth of stone-tipped projectiles"

Summary

Understanding prehistoric projectile weaponry performance is fundamental to unraveling past humans’ survival and the evolution of technology. One important debate involves how deeply stone-tipped projectiles penetrate a target. Theoretically, all things being equal, projectiles with smaller tip cross-sectional geometries should penetrate deeper into a target than projectiles with larger tip cross-sectional geometries. Yet, previous experiments have both supported and questioned this theoretical premise. Here, under controlled conditions, we experimentally examine fourteen types of stone-tipped projectile each possessing a different cross-sectional geometry. Our results show that both tip cross-sectional area (TCSA) and tip cross-sectional perimeter (TCSP) exhibit a strong, significant inverse relationship with target penetration depth, although TCSP’s relationship is stronger. We discuss why our experimental results support what is mathematically predicted while previous experiments have not. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that when stone tip cross-sectional geometries become smaller over time in particular contexts, this evolution may be due to the selection of these attributes for increased penetration.

Cite this Record

Dataset for Sitton et al. 2020, Scientific Reports, "Tip cross-sectional geometry predicts the penetration depth of stone-tipped projectiles". Kent State University, University of Tulsa, Southern Methodist University. 2020 ( tDAR id: 465787) ; doi:10.48512/XCV8465787

Data Set Structure

Measurement Column
Count Column
Coded Column
Filename Column
Integration Column (has Ontology)

Table Information: Penetration and Velocity Data

Column Name Data Type Type Category Coding Sheet Ontology Search
Shot BIGINT  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Velocity (m/s) VARCHAR  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Penetration depth (cm) DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Shot BIGINT  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Velocity (m/s) VARCHAR  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Penetration depth (cm) DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Shot BIGINT  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Velocity (m/s) VARCHAR  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Penetration depth (cm) DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Shot BIGINT  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Velocity (m/s) VARCHAR  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Penetration depth (cm) DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Shot BIGINT  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Velocity (m/s) VARCHAR  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Penetration depth (cm) DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Shot BIGINT  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Velocity (m/s) VARCHAR  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Penetration depth (cm) DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Shot BIGINT  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Velocity (m/s) VARCHAR  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Penetration depth (cm) DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Shot BIGINT  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Velocity (m/s) VARCHAR  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Penetration depth (cm) DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Shot BIGINT  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Velocity (m/s) VARCHAR  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Penetration depth (cm) DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Shot BIGINT  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Velocity (m/s) VARCHAR  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Penetration depth (cm) DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Shot BIGINT  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Velocity (m/s) VARCHAR  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Penetration depth (cm) DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Shot BIGINT  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Velocity (m/s) VARCHAR  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Penetration depth (cm) DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Shot BIGINT  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Velocity (m/s) VARCHAR  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Penetration depth (cm) DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Shot BIGINT  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Velocity (m/s) VARCHAR  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Penetration depth (cm) DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true

Table Information: Point Measurements

Column Name Data Type Type Category Coding Sheet Ontology Search
Point BIGINT  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Total projectile mass (g) DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Point length DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Point width DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Point thicknes DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Haft binding length DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Haft binding width DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Haft binding thickness DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Shaft length (cm) DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true
Shaft diameter DOUBLE  Uncoded Value uncategorized none none true

Keywords

Culture
Clovis PaleoIndian

Material
Chipped Stone

File Information

  Name Size Creation Date Date Uploaded Access
Tip-cross-sectional-geometry-predicts-the-penetration-depth-of... 21.64kb Sep 26, 2021 9:08:20 AM Public
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-70264-y