Stone Age Spear and Arrow Points of California and the Great Basin

Noel D Justice

Stone Age Spear and Arrow Points of California and the Great Basin

Year: 2002

Summary

J. Whittaker: [Justice’s books are tremendously impressive syntheses of all sorts of relevant info, even if you don’t agree with all his typological groupings.]

p 16 atlatl vs dart pts by size, Thomas, Fenenga etc refs.

p 32-39 foreshaft manufacture, dart evidence from caves - Leonard Rockshelter, Hogup, Danger, Gypsum caves summarized, good pics Hidden Cave, Humboldt Cave foreshafts w stone pts. Hafting mastics include pine pitch, asphaltum, others [some like jojoba seem unlikely].

p 41-45 almost identical descrip of atlatls to SW book, [adequate but his explanation of mechanics is poor: he seems to accept Webbs theory that weights on flexible shafts are “most efficient” but correctly notes in his own experiments that “adding enough weight to the atlatl to actually be felt when throwing a spear impedes the delivery of thrust.” His diagram of throwing is poor.] Good small drawings and descriptions of Lovelock Cave, Hogup Cave, and Winnemuca NVWa197 atlatls.

p 55-59 transition from atlatl to bow: most evidence says ca 500 AD in west US, although there are some arguments from small points for earlier, and some suggestions of late atlatl survival.

Lots of discussion of points identified as atlatl dart points.

Cite this Record

Stone Age Spear and Arrow Points of California and the Great Basin. Noel D Justice. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. 2002 ( tDAR id: 423369)