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<p>Projectile technology and long-range weapons represent a major innovation in human evolution, shaping subsistence strategies, complex behavior, and advanced planning skills. Given the fast decay of organic remains, the Upper Paleolithic record is dominated by lithic implements, which are often classified as projectiles based primarily on morphological characteristics. However, such typological classifications frequently overlook macro- and microfractures that signal actual projectile use and may vary between different weapon systems. Here, we present the results of a detailed technological and functional analysis of 54 <i>fléchettes</i> from the Gravettian layers of the cave sites Hohle Fels, Brillenhöhle, and Geißenklösterle. Using a holistic approach including multiple analytical approaches spanning from lithic technology, traceology, projectile experiments, and statistics allowed a more comprehensive and robust analysis of possible wear patterns linked to projectile use. The technological analysis focused on the production sequence and morphological variability of the <i>fléchettes</i>, while use-wear analysis was employed to identify macro- and micro traces indicative of projectile use. The observed traces were tested against a reference assemblage of experimentally replicated <i>fléchettes</i> knapped from Jurassic chert and radiolarite, the two primary lithic materials used in the Swabian Gravettian. The experiments tested different propulsion modes, including spear-throwing and bow-and-arrow propulsion, as well as the influence of raw material variability on the formation of macro traces. The results reveal a high overlap of use-wear traces between Ach Valley <i>fléchettes</i> and <i>fléchettes</i> used in experimental spear-throwing while clustering with TCSA values of ethnographic arrowheads. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that <i>fléchettes</i> were likely adapted for projectile use in a long-range weapon system, complementing other Gravettian point types in a modular projectile design that reflects the versatile technological and subsistence organization in the Swabian Gravettian.</p>

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 A Holistic Framework for Paleolithic Projectile Studies: Insights from Swabian Gravettian Fléchettes

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月8日

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  • Elena T. Moos,
  • Flavia Venditti,
  • Nicholas J. Conard

摘要

Projectile technology and long-range weapons represent a major innovation in human evolution, shaping subsistence strategies, complex behavior, and advanced planning skills. Given the fast decay of organic remains, the Upper Paleolithic record is dominated by lithic implements, which are often classified as projectiles based primarily on morphological characteristics. However, such typological classifications frequently overlook macro- and microfractures that signal actual projectile use and may vary between different weapon systems. Here, we present the results of a detailed technological and functional analysis of 54 fléchettes from the Gravettian layers of the cave sites Hohle Fels, Brillenhöhle, and Geißenklösterle. Using a holistic approach including multiple analytical approaches spanning from lithic technology, traceology, projectile experiments, and statistics allowed a more comprehensive and robust analysis of possible wear patterns linked to projectile use. The technological analysis focused on the production sequence and morphological variability of the fléchettes, while use-wear analysis was employed to identify macro- and micro traces indicative of projectile use. The observed traces were tested against a reference assemblage of experimentally replicated fléchettes knapped from Jurassic chert and radiolarite, the two primary lithic materials used in the Swabian Gravettian. The experiments tested different propulsion modes, including spear-throwing and bow-and-arrow propulsion, as well as the influence of raw material variability on the formation of macro traces. The results reveal a high overlap of use-wear traces between Ach Valley fléchettes and fléchettes used in experimental spear-throwing while clustering with TCSA values of ethnographic arrowheads. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that fléchettes were likely adapted for projectile use in a long-range weapon system, complementing other Gravettian point types in a modular projectile design that reflects the versatile technological and subsistence organization in the Swabian Gravettian.