Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Moroccan arrowhead id

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Moroccan arrowhead id

    Hello,
    Two years ago I went hiking for five days in the Moroccan Sahara. We were close to M'Hamid, the last village before the desert. There I found this arrowhead (?) on the ground. I would very much appreciate if anyone could help me figure out something about it. Is it an ancient or modern thing? What kind of rock is it? Who could have done it? Is it normal the backwards curve it has?
    please take into account I don't have any knowledge about this kind of artifacts.
    thank you very much for your help!

    Seb

  • #2
    Fascinating.

    I can't tell you much about it beyond the fact that chipped stone artifacts from Africa can be very old indeed. Google 'Middle Stone Age'.

    The curve is a natural characteristic of conchoidal fracture produced when cleaving the 'spall' or flake off the core stone.
    California

    Comment


    • Seb
      Seb commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks!
      I get where the curve comes from, but it makes the tool very ineffective, isn't it?
      Is that a common feature? Or it means it was discarded because of it?

    • tomf
      tomf commented
      Editing a comment
      I can't see why the curve would detract from utility if the tool is a spear tip or dagger.

      It's common for the curve to be reduced by flaking in the case of projectile points (which need to be straight for aerodynamic reasons).

      Quick search shows Capsian culture in N.W. Africa (6,000 - 8,000 B.P.) made points a bit like yours.




    • Seb
      Seb commented
      Editing a comment
      Ok, yes, I was thinking about aerodynamics, but if it was meant to be a handheld tool then that doesn't come into play.

      It looks very much like those on the second link. Now I realize that it's much older than what I thought!

      Thanks very much!

  • #3
    Make sure you write "MOROCCO" on it with an indelible sharpie, unless you are from and collect from that area. This point in a NA collection is a stinker. Just sayin woi.
    Professor Shellman
    Tampa Bay

    Comment


    • Seb
      Seb commented
      Editing a comment
      That's a good advice, I will do it.

  • #4
    Cool find. It’s a style of point made on a bladelet from core. A really efficient way of doing it. That gives you the thickness, the ridge, the sharp edges, and often the curve. Add in the tip and the stem, and you are good to go.

    I understand that if you haft them with a little wedge in a section of reed, you can get the point to line up with the axis of the arrow or dart shaft. The points often broke if they hit wrong, but they were pretty easy to make & replace.

    edit- Added a link that describes the bladelet/core tech and points better.

    Pictures and descriptions of several different types of projectile points that were made on blades and flakes that were struck from prepared cores. These points were collected in on sites in many different countries and have a range of dates from 120,000 to 1400 years ago.
    Last edited by clovisoid; 09-13-2019, 06:32 PM.
    Hong Kong, but from Indiana/Florida

    Comment


    • #5
      This was a fascinating informative thread I missed .
      Helps me and refreshes my memory on these flake tools we all find here in the US . BTW what a fascinating find !
      Last edited by Tam; 09-15-2019, 12:42 PM.

      Comment


      • #6
        Hi Seb

        That was a really nice find. What you have is a uniface lanceolate stemmed point in the Capsian tradition. A small portion of the stem is broken, which is not unusual. Those typically date from the late Mesolithic into the early Neolithic which, for the area where you found it would likely put it around 5,000 - 9,000 years old. Not always easy to identify materials from photographs, but it looks like rose chert.
        I keep six honest serving-men (they taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who.

        Comment


        • Seb
          Seb commented
          Editing a comment
          Fantastic, thanks for the info!

      • #7
        It looks like a piece of pink himalayan Rock salt kicked around by camels. Taste it!!!

        Comment


        • painshill
          painshill commented
          Editing a comment
          Welcome to the forum... but what exactly was that flippant and disparaging remark meant to achieve? Perhaps you should also consult a map, in which case you will see that the Himalayas are in Asia... some five and a half thousand miles from Morocco. Perhaps you meant the Atlas mountains, although it clearly isn't a piece of rock salt from either location.
      Working...
      X