Ancient broadheads in Alaska

[Bob Moran]

Found an interesting article about a study of projectile points used by ancient Alaskan hunters which compared effectiveness of three different points found in Alaska.
 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180131144448.htm

[BAK]

Interesting article, but it didn't seem there was a clear distinction between the stone tipped versus the micro-blades.

If that were the case the micro-blades would seem to require much more time to build, but would require much less obsidian like material.  That may have been a distinct advantage to an Eskimo.

[Tim Finley]

I had never seen the micro blades before who ever made those in the photo did a very excellent job. . It was a interesting article .

[Roadkill]

Thanks for sharing

[chinook907]

That's pretty cool. Had no idea that composite heads were ever made like that.
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A few years ago I was hunting caribou in an area where Alaska natives used to hunt seasonally. They apparently would quarry chert from a nearby site, and then sit on little knobs and knap heads while they waited for caribou to come by.
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Many of the knobs that I catted around on were littered with flakes from the hunter/snappers.
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Foggy.

 
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[DXH]

Interesting article

[mgf]

From the articale? "An animal that was easier to kill may have been targeted more often, which could, along with changing climates, explain why animals such as the horse disappeared from the Arctic. A shot to the lung was lethal for early equines, Wood said, but a caribou could keep going."

Really? To you guys who have hunted caribou, where do you try to hit them. I'd think a double lung hit would do the job well enough.

I guess it's possible that the article doesn't accurately convey what the "study" actually found but what I read in the article seems more like wild conjecture than science based on sound method and measurement.

Was the choice between points really dependent on which objectively worked best or might it have been based partly on material availability and/or the skill to fashion the point?

I guess I'm really worried to hear that a lung hit won't stop a caribou. LOL