Assessment of lateral edge grinding on hafting performance using experimental Clovis points

Summary

In the 1930s, F. H. H. Roberts proposed that lateral basal grinding was executed on Paleoindian projectile points to limit damage to the lashings that attached them to their shafts. This assumption is logical and widely accepted, but remains empirically untested. Here, we present an experiment that examines the role of lateral basal grinding in replica Clovis projectile points made of Texas chert. We compare via controlled ballistics experiments large samples of points with lateral edge grinding versus those with sharp lateral edges, but otherwise similar in every other morphometric aspect. The two point types are further divided by lashing type: animal derived silk fiber (similar to sinew) and flax cellulose fiber (both sealed with hide-glue). By analyzing and comparing the hafting performance of all four groups (ground, animal-fiber; sharp, animal-fiber; ground, flax-fiber; sharp, flax-fiber), we hope to better understand the function of lateral basal grinding, as well as any differences in use-wear between animal-based and plant-based lashings.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Controlled Experiments in Lithic Technology and Function

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15013