Arrowhead

Chert arrowhead, Late Neolithic (Rhodézien) (3300–2400 BC), current France

An arrowhead or point is the usually sharpened and hardened tip of an arrow, which contributes a majority of the projectile mass and is responsible for impacting and penetrating a target, or sometimes for special purposes such as signaling.

The earliest arrowheads were made of stone and of organic materials; as human civilizations progressed, other alloy materials were used. Arrowheads are important archaeological artifacts; they are a subclass of projectile points. Modern enthusiasts still "produce over one million brand-new spear and arrow points per year".[1]

A craftsman who manufactures arrowheads is called an arrowsmith.[2][full citation needed]

  1. ^ Kelley, Kevin (2010). What Technology Wants. New York: Viking. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-670-02215-1.
  2. ^ Paterson, W. F. Encyclopaedia of Archery. p. 20.