Howiesons Poort Segments as Hunting Weapons: Experiments with Replicated Projectiles

Ideas about the possible uses of Howiesons Poort backed artefacts, which appeared about 70 000 years ago, have been based on Later Stone Age and ethnographic examples. This paper describes an experimental test of the effectiveness of Howiesons Poort-type segments as projectile points, as well as the results of Tip Cross Sectional Area (TCSA) calculations (see Shea 2006). My aim is to show the usefulness of a range of possible hafting positions for Howiesons Poort segments as projectile tips through the use of controlled experiments and replication work. The results of these experiments may shed light on the hunting technologies of people living during the Middle Stone Age (MSA) of South Africa. Shea’s (2006) Tip Cross Sectional Area (TCSA) calculations were used to compare hafted segments with other types of pre-historic projectile points. The TCSA values, in conjunction with other quantitative or morphometric studies, can help determine how these tools were used.