Kennewick Man Projectile Point Pics

[OntarioArch]

Just for your enjoyment and wonder.... from Kennewick Man: The Scientific Investigation of an Ancient American Skeleton, Owsley and Jantz, 2014

Projectile Point embedded in the internal surface of the right ilium.



Reduction sequence of Haskett points: (a) complete Haskett point from the type site in Idaho (b) resharpened tip on a Haskett point from Fairfield, ID (c) Haskett point from McMinnville, OR (d) reconstruction of the point embedded in Kennewick Man. The arrow box 'A' identifies the tip which was digitally transferred from the type point (a) to illustrate how it might have looked before impact.



This was one tough human being: projectile point was lodged in his bone for years before his death.

I have just started this 600 page textbook-like reading. Snatched it for $15, barely used, on Amazon. Gonna take me awhile to work through it - there's 3 chapters on dentition, alone. Whew!

 

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[joshuaream]

I have that book on my shopping list. I haven’t seen any used ones come up for sale yet since most people are still working through the book.

My understanding is that Hasketts are significantly older than Kennewick man. People might have had a “paleo lifestyle” when Kennewick man was running around, but he’s more archaic than paleo if you define him by traditional dating methods.

 

[captain redbeard]

Men were men then, that's for sure.

 

[GB Paleo]

I have that book on my shopping list. I haven’t seen any used ones come up for sale yet since most people are still working through the book.

My understanding is that Hasketts are significantly older than Kennewick man. People might have had a “paleo lifestyle” when Kennewick man was running around, but he’s more archaic than paleo if you define him by traditional dating methods.

It was also my understanding that the point was more Cascade like than Haskett….Somewhat similar in shape but years apart in age?

 

[sandchip]

A wood splinter festering for a couple of weeks in your finger is bad enough. He had to be one tough joker, for sure. Thanks for the pictures.

 

[arrow86]

Pretty interesting I’ll have to look into that book , unreal that was lodged in bone it must have just missed artery on the way in he was definitely a tough dude.

 

[OntarioArch]

Update!

The Projectile Point in Kennewick Man's hip was nearly complete, with the exception of the tip (2.9 mm of tip broke off and is now missing, believed to have fractured off at impact); the point was 53 mm long, maximum width of 20 mm, maximum thickness of 6.7 mm; lanceolate shape, biconvex cross-section, long, tapering stem, and a bulbous tip, partially serrated edges. Made from glassy igneous rock, possibly dacite or basalt.

The point is believed to be a heavily re-worked Haskett, rather than a Cascade, but the authors acknowledge some uncertainty here. Kennewick Man was dated at nearly 9000 Cal yr BP, and Haskett sites dated between 12,000 and 9,000 Cal yr. BP are found throughout the area.

The momentum necessary to propel the point through skin and muscle tissues while also breaking off a piece of iliac bone was likely accomplished by a atlatl. The projectile point struck Kennewick Man from the front, 65 degrees to the right of mid-saggital plane (ie., 65 degrees to right of straight ahead...) at a downward angle of 29 degrees.

The wound healed without developing chronic bacterial infection. Bone growth around the projectile point indicates that Kennewick Man was likely wounded as a young adult, years before his death that occured somewhere between ages of 35-39.

As I work my way through this 650 page textbook/scientific report, my admiration for these top-level scientists, acknowledged to be the best in their respective fields of study, only grows stronger. It's unbelievable what can be learned from 9200 year-old bones and teeth: diet (lots of dried fish... so full of grit that his teeth were almost worn out), hunting habits (threw atlatls or spears so that his shoulder looked like a baseball pitcher's shoulder!), was right-handed and spent a lot of time squatting. Etc.

It is evident that the hard work and devotion of these scientists was focused on only one goal: Truth.

A refreshing change these days.

 

[newnan man]

That mummy found in the Alps had a point imbedded in his shoulder I believe. They speculate that may have ultimately killed him.

 

[arrow86]

That mummy found in the Alps had a point imbedded in his shoulder I believe. They speculate that may have ultimately killed him.

Otzi the iceman ..... he definitely had some rough final days but some amazing artifacts recovered with him