File:ARROWHEAD (FindID 1026937-1142644).jpg

Essentially complete barbed and tanged arrowhead of Green. S, (1980) Sutton type with pointed barbs higher than the tang. This is pressure flaked from a tertiary flake of brown flint of good quality with no visible inclusions, one notch for the binding is larger than the other, the side view shows very good symmetry (important for the arrows straight flight) though the plan views show slight asymmetry due to the initial shape of the “blank” flake of flint chosen for the arrowhead, see below.

Knapping strategy discussion:

Most barbed and tanged are made with the bulb of percussion orientated towards the point of the finished arrowhead, this is the thickest part where the area immediately below the strike bulges out before thinning out and terminates in a paper thin, sharp edge at the distal end. All edges are then pressure flaked to a triangular shape, regularising the profile and ultimately obtaining good symmetry, the notches for the barbs and the tang are usually located in the thinnest part and are the last task in shaping.

This example is unusual as the bulb of percussion is orientated at one of the barbs (bottom left in the first photo, this is the ventral (bulbar) face), the pressure flaking has been extensive along this edge in order to thin it out enough to achieve symmetry, the other edges appear to be rather steeply trimmed to shape to thicken up this thinner edge. there is also a small area of damage to this edge towards the point, upper right hand in the first photo), probably ancient in origin. The other face is dominated by a previous large flake scar, this runs from the tang towards the point in line with the finished arrowhead, this has caused a hollow to the middle of this face, pressure flakes are unable to travel far in a hollow and this also may account for the steeply retouched edges. Most of the central face of this side is not modified much more than the original “blank” flake and anyway, it was unnecessary to produce an effective arrowhead.

As noted earlier, the notches are of different sizes, this is because the larger of the two (bottom left in the first photo) was positioned near to the bulb, the thicker material there required more material to be removed to achieve the same depth.

Early Bronze Age, 2,350 to 1,500 BC.