The Portable Antiquities Scheme

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A Neolithic 'triangular' arrowhead. The arrowhead is sub-triangular in plan but appears not to be broken across the base. The arrowhead is worked fully across both faces. The shape is more reminiscent of a barbed and tanged arrowhead, and though the object looks complete it is possible that a break has now removed these defining features.

Butler illustrates one that is not too dissimilar (p.160). He refers to them as 'triangular arrowheads' and says that it is not clear whether they are variants of a type or a type in their own right. He also suggests that some were possible blanks for barbed and tanged arrowheads 'whilst the extent of the retouch and the transverse cross section of some suggests that they were variants of the transverse arrowhead' (p.160).

A hint that this arrowhead may be a blank for a barbed-and-tanged type is seen in the lower right hand corner where it appears that a small notch has been removed in order to start the right-hand barb. The left hand corner has a diagonal break that might have been caused as the knapper began to work a notch to create the left hand barb. The resulting break may have led the knapper to give up on trying to form a barbed and tanged arrowhead and use it as a simple triangular one instead.

No references cited so far.

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Created: Thursday 26th January 2012
Updated: Thursday 26th January 2012