The Convergence of Metal Projectile Points: Assessing the Relative Influence of Function in Nonhomologous Technological Traditions

Summary

This is an abstract from the "From Hard Rock to Heavy Metal: Metal Tool Production and Use by Indigenous Hunter-Gatherers in North America" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Recently, more attention has been focused on the assessment of convergence versus divergence of technology in the archaeological record. This ties into long-standing debates concerning our ability to recognize if similar traditions resulted from diffusion or migration, as well as the relative influence that function has on the morphology of tools. To identify possible convergence in the invention and production of metal projectile points, our research examines two different technological traditions that shifted from stone to metal materials or supplemented stone with metal, namely the Beothuk of Newfoundland and the Old Copper Culture of the Great Lakes region. They are significantly separated chronologically and geographically and, therefore, are likely not homologous. We examine morphological variation in their metal points and compare it to preceding and contemporaneous stone points in both cultures to examine relationships between tool forms that are similar in function. Our comparative analysis has broader implications in the archaeological interpretation of historical relationships between past peoples and their technological traditions.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• From Hard Rock to Heavy Metal: Metal Tool Production and Use by Indigenous Hunter-Gatherers in North America   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36005.0