Arrow heads
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Arrow heads are sharpened or flintknapped stones, flakes, and chips of rock that are sharpened enough for the tip of an arrow. Prehistoric peoples often used various stone spear heads and arrow heads for their weapons and hunting tools. A wide variety of prehistoric arrow heads have been found in each region of the world, and there are distinct changes over time. Arrow heads differ from other stone tools in that the only part of the arrow or spear that has survived for thousands of years is the stone tip, or stone arrow head. The arrow head itself was not a tool, and the prehistoric tools of bows, arrows, and spears are not as easy to find.
Archaeology and Anthropology often involve the study of remnants of the surviving parts of stone tools to date, cataloque, and categorize specific periods of human cultures over thousands of years. Arrow heads and flint chips can survive for long periods, are plentiful, were often lost, and provide useful clues to the human past and prehistoric trade. Scientific techniques exist to track the specific kinds of rock or minerals used in various regions, back to their original sources.
A variety of arrow heads and spear points have been discovered in North America. Some of the most interesting involve the copper points that were mined from copper veins in the Lake Superior region and elsewhere. In addition, quartz, flint, obsidian and many other minerals were commonly used to make arrow heads and other stone tools. The prehistoric trade of copper across the continent seems to be widespread, along with shells like cowries and other trade items.
