The application of high resolution CT to identify the function of the Middle Stone Age bone point from Sibudu Cave, South Africa

BRADFIELD, J.; WADLEY, L; CARLSON, K.J.; D'ERRICO, F.; BACKWELL, L.; JASHASHVILI, T.

Johanesburgo

Conferencia; 3rd National Conference on Imaging with Radiation (Imgrad2017); 2017

University of the Witwatersrand

Projectile weaponry, understood in its broadest terms, is found in all regions, and among all human cultures of the world, yet its antiquity and evolution remain incompletely understood. Within cognitive studies of projectile use, there is a conceptual distinction between weapons that are projected by hand, such as a spear, and those that are projected by means of a mechanical instrument, such as a bow. How far back in time we can recognise and verify mechanically-assisted projectile use, and more specifically bow-and-arrow technology, is an ongoing theme of research and debate. The use of cylindrically-modified bones as hafted arrowheads is well-established within the historic period of southern Africa and extends deep into the Late Stone Age. Small stone segments and a single bone point from Sibudu Cave in KZN, morphologically akin to 20th century arrowheads, and dated to 60 ka, provide tentative evidence for bow and arrow use at this early period. Macroscopic impact fractures, diagnostic of longitudinal impact, support its use as a weapon component rather than as a domestic implement. Here we present the results of high resolution CT to image the Sibudu bone point and seven experimentally manufactured replicas for comparison. Six of these replicas were used as arrowheads for evaluating internal damage resulting from impact, while one replica was subjected to heat in order to assess the possibility that this is a confounding variable in eliciting internal damage.