Hunting with Talc?

Abstract

Collaborative excavations by the Shandong University and Field Museum at the Longshan Period site of Liangchengzhen in eastern Shandong Province, China have uncovered over 200 projectile points constructed from several prevalent material types of varying hardness. The majority of the points were finished by grinding. The smaller percentage were finished by pressure flaking. Raw materials utilized in projectile point manufacture included chlorite schist, chert and talc schist. To better understand their efficiency as projectile weapons, several of the points were replicated and tested in well controlled penetration experiments. While it is argued that talc schist projectile points could have functioned as weapons, they were also likely highly symbolic tools constructed and used for ceremonial or other non-utilitarian purposes.