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 (TC SA) and tip cross-sectional perimeter (TC SP) 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.

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