New light on the variability of hunting equipment in the Gravettian

Hunting is commonly believed to have been one of the central aspects in the lives of Palaeolithic groups and it is therefore an integral part of almost any attempt to explain the archaeological record. Different methods are used to understand prey selection (archaeozoology), to identify lithic or osseous armatures (use-wear analysis) and to reconstruct their production sequences (chaîne opératoire analysis). Despite these achievements, our current methods tell us little about the overall design of hunting weapons and their change through time, which would be a key aspect for a true reconstruction of Palaeolithic hunting practices.
In this contribution, we argue that this methodological gap can be bridged and weapon design (projecting modes and hafting arrangements) reconstructed. As an example of exploiting the full potential of lithic armatures, we present the results of a collaborative project which aims at identifying possible changes in weapon design and use and at understanding their links with morphological variation of lithic armatures within Gravettian industries. Our approach represents a strong integration of morphological, technological and functional analyses supported by a multi-step experimental program.
The archaeological material consists of tanged points from Maisières-Canal (Belgium, 28 000 BP) and microgravette points from Ormesson - les Bossats (France, 26 500 BP) and Abri Pataud (France, 24 000 BP). The results provide a more profound understanding of the weapon systems the tanged points and microgravette points were part of, including their mode of propulsion, and shed new light on the evolution of these systems during the Gravettian. We argue that detailed data on organisation and operation of hunting equipment can help us understand certain major technological changes observed in the Upper Palaeolithic.