Did the shape of Mesolithic-Neolithic arrowheads determine their performance?

The arrowheads of the last European hunter-gatherers and early farmers are extremely variable in terms of shape and, because of this, they have been extensively used in archaeology to determine cultural affiliations and relationships.

However, a recurrent question is whether these changes in shape respond to functional pressures (e.g. better performance efficiency) or to cultural aspects (e.g. identity or drift).

In a new study published in Scientific Reports, researchers from the University of Cambridge, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Archaeology and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, collaborated to find out more.

To assess this hypothesis the researchers used a tensile tester to experimentally examine the penetration potential of replicated Neolithic arrowheads that varied in their shape. Experimental data were then integrated with geometric morphometrics and a broader Bayesian hierarchical statistical model, to assess how shape influenced the force and energy required for an arrow head to pierce a material. Results point to the fact that shape has no relevant effect of penetration capacity for these specific arrowheads and, in turn, opens a whole new line of research on how we should assess these heads in terms of cultural identity, cultural drifts and social learning processes.