Atlatl Dart Points

[Tdog]

While going through some of the new posts today, one in particular caught my eye. Mud Hawk responded to a "new find" thread started by Cgode and indicated he thought the artifact in question was an atlatl dart point. My question is what characteristics does one look for in determining whether the artifact is an atlatl dart point or meant for some other use? If this is answered in another thread, please point it out to me. Thanks for your response(s) to this.

[Mud Hawk]

Hey Tdog,

Here is the Lamoka dart point I found a while back:









The Lamoka Culture was known for very poor knapping skills and the point predated the bow and arrow:

Lamoka projectile point - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As far as I can tell, the ground I hunt is Terminal Archaic/Early Woodland. This is when hunter/gatherer started to go agricultural (transitional).

So... I am a good distance from the Lamoka Lake site as well as cgode, but apparenty there was a second hostile culture in the Lamoka Lake region that was expelled. I would imagine pebble industry as well http://indian-artifacts.net/articles..._lake_site.htm

Hope some of this helps answer your question. I actually would like to see this in the Typology section along with Drybroook Fishtails (found 2 so far).

[eddies]

good info, thanks

[uniface]

FWIW : when the only good (even decent) quality toolstone you can come up with is smallish glacial cobbles from rivers & creeks, you're pretty limited in what you can do with it. As, IMHO, was the guy who made that one.

Small, crude points are not necessarily the result of inept knapping skill. The nicer ones started out as larger preforms.

[Mud Hawk]

True Uniface, I was only quoting that above article . I actually love finding cobble pieces around here that are worked. I think that is something that totally threw me off when I was a new hard headed member here. Sure some of you remember it like it was yesterday... wait a tic... IT WAS yesterday .

[cgode]

Explained very nicely Mud Hawk, great info and nice links......

[Mud Hawk]

I stand corrected... The Lamoka Culture didn't cleave but were actually in hostile contact with another culture which in the end was expelled.

I would assume they were also utilizing glacial cobble and made similar point types. Sorry about the mistake!

[Tdog]

Thanks for the input guys. I understand the implications of projectile points predating the bow and arrow but I am still confused as far as how you tell the difference from the dart points and points that were small hafted cutters such as knives. Not trying to beat a dead horse but I would like to know how one can distinguish the physical differences in them.

[Mud Hawk]

Tdog,

From my understanding, regardless of the point style, all atlatl projectiles are labeled as "dart". So in other words all projectile points (points not meant to be hafted for knife/scraper utility) predating the bow and arrow must have either been spear in the javelin sense or atlatl dart points. Base styles and types will always vary from available lithic sources, cultures and time periods so I don't think it is really a canned answer. Please don't take what I say as testament as I am still learning as well. Good question/post!

After re-reading your post above, I think use wear might be the distinguishing factor. Not all of us have microscopes or know what to look for... I sure don't. I would guess if you found (under magnification) what looks like microscopic edge retouch it would indicate knife/scraper use. It is caused by impurities and debris such as dirt getting caught and dragged across the edge. All I can tell ya man... I am getting into deeper water than I am comfortable swimming in!!!

[TurtleMan]

Well I putting my floaties and swimfins on as we speak Mud!lol First, good observation on the dates/timeline of arrow/atlatl uses, this would be the main factor in determining use. The thing that I would also think to look at in determining a dart point, from a spear point, from a knife point, from a arrow point is size and shape. Obviously a blade that is over lets say 6in. is most likely a spear point as it is not going to fly properly on any thing that doesn't have a large mass behind it. And a atlatl dart is basicly a large arrow, it is suposed to flex and obsorb the energy released from the atlatl. It is a fairly light device compairitivly and would be "out of tune" with sutch a large point. This means it would have to have been hand-thrown, probobly at a distence of under 30 yrds. It could also have been a pure thrusting wepon (see bufalo lance). A knife of any size I think would show more asyemitry because of ware, depending simply on wether the person was right or left handed. If say it was hafted to a deer antlers, wich have a natural curve to them and fit the hand beter depending on wich side it came from, one side is going to have more wear. the other factor in determining a knife blade, in my opinion and expriance, is that a projectile isn't going to last as long, this means it won't have as mutch retouch as a knife might get. A atlatl dart point could make this a little of a gray area though because most were hafted to a fore-shaft, wich is a short langth of meterial (wood, bone, or antler) that then fits into a cavity in the main dart shaft. This would facilitate the fore shaft to be used as a knife. But the nature of the fore shaft itself would allow the use of both edges ambadexterously, there for allowing for a more even ware pattern. geting to the real question at hand, dart or arrow point. A arrow point is going to be roughly about 1 1/2 to 2 in. long at the longest. Again factoring in the in-flight caricteristics, a larger point will have to much wind resistence and cause the rear of the arrow to want to "go faster" than the front and cause the arrow to toppel in flight. coincidenily I've found that a atlatl point that is from 2 to 3 1/2 in long and also a bit wider than a normal arrow point seems to work the best. To a lesser extent the hafting area is also going to be wider on a atlatl dart because a fore shaft can be almost 1/2 in acoss. I know that some point types are mutch wider than this, but it's another observation that I have made I my personal experiance with the atlatl. These are just my opinions, and would actualy apreciate someone who realy knows to call BS and set me stright. I merly wanted to pravoke some discution/thoughts on the matter, while getting my own out there!