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Obsidian projectile point.. Obsidian is a naturally formed volcanic glass that was an important part of the material culture of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.Obsidian was a highly integrated part of daily and ritual life, and its widespread and varied use may be a significant contributor to Mesoamerica's lack of metallurgy.
An arrowhead or point is the usually sharpened and hardened tip of an arrow, ... primarily consisting of flint, obsidian, or chert. In many excavations, bone, wooden ...
Obsidian was valued in Stone Age cultures because, like flint, it could be fractured to produce sharp blades or arrowheads in a process called knapping. Like all glass and some other naturally occurring rocks, obsidian breaks with a characteristic conchoidal fracture .
A large variety of prehistoric arrowheads, dart points, javelin points, and spear points have been discovered. Chert, obsidian, quartzite, quartz, and many other rocks and minerals were commonly used to make points in North America.
Most commonly, volcanic glass refers to obsidian, a rhyolitic glass with high silica (SiO 2) content. [7] Other types of volcanic glass include the following: Pumice, which is considered a glass because it has no crystal structure. Apache tears, a kind of nodular obsidian.
Previously, the island was also known by the name Ephyra (Ancient Greek: Έφυρα) [1] or Ephora (Έφορα, meaning "watchtower"), because one could observe the sea from its highest point over long distances. Settlement in prehistoric times can be assumed due to remains of walls and arrowheads made of obsidian found on the island.
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These weapons could be used to inflict either cutting wounds (with the obsidian blades) or to club an opponent unconscious (with the flat side). It has been loosely compared to a European broadsword, [ 21 ] although others have argued that it is a distinct weapon from either swords or clubs. [ 22 ]