Foreshafts were pieces of wood, bone, ivory, antler that held projectile points. Shafts are found split / slotted and secured with organic materials, such as string or sinew. In archaeological contexts, the size of the shaft is determined by the shape of the projectile point and if the device was used an atlatl, throwing dart or bow and arrow.

The foreshafts pictured above were recovered from a dry cave in Southern Arizona. Based on the size, adhesive type and trace of paint, these artifacts were determined to be examples of historic bow and arrow technology.

Sources:

More Arrows in Archaeology

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