DART OR ARROW? STATISTICAL TESTS AND REFLECTIONS ON THE TECHNOLOGY OF PROJECTILE POINTS IN SOUTHEASTERN AND SOUTHERN BRAZIL DURING PREHISTORY/ DARDO OU FLECHA? TESTES E REFLEXOES SOBRE A TECNOLOGIA DE USO DE PONTAS DE PROJETIL NO SUDESTE E SUL DO BRASIL DURANTE A PRE-HISTORIA

Popularly known as "arrowheads", the projectile points associated with the Umbu Tradition in southern and southeastern Brazil have been lacking research about how they have been used. There are important variations in size between arrowheads and dart points, given the differences in their associated technological propulsions. Using the technique proposed by Shott (1997), this work aims, in a preliminary way, to better understand the use of darts and arrows in southeastern and southern Brazil during prehistory. The sample comprised points from eight sites from southern and southeastern Brazil, dating from the late Pleistocene to the late Holocene. At least one set of points, dated from the early Holocene, presented quite high proportion of points that could be considered as arrowheads, indicating the presence of points that could be potentially used as arrows.