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projectile point

vr.tr.projectile-point · thing-q2308299

Let an agent explain what projectile points are and how archaeologists classify and date them, relay typologies and recording standards from archaeological references, relay finds law, and separate points from other stone tools and from modern arrowheads.

Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.OBJ
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Identify What the point is.

Form

Form and hafting.

Form

Form.

  1. What are the shape, base, material and manufacture of the point? definition
  2. Is the object a projectile point or another tool? boundary

Type

Type.

Type

Type.

  1. Which named type does it match, and which typology is used? provenance
  2. Which entry fits the specific type? action
Date Dating and culture.

Dating

Dating.

Dating

Dating.

  1. How are points dated by typology and by context, and with what uncertainty? measurement
  2. Which entry fits archaeological dating? action

Culture

Cultural attribution.

Culture

Culture.

  1. What do points tell about technology, hunting and cultural change, with interpretations attributed? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance
Record Finds and law.

Finds

Reporting finds.

Finds

Finds.

  1. What must a finder do under local law, and how should a find be recorded? provenance
  2. Is the user asking about a specific find, which needs the heritage authority? boundary

Collecting

Collecting rules.

Collecting

Collecting.

  1. What rules govern collecting and trading points, especially on public and Indigenous lands? provenance
  2. Which entry fits cultural property law? action
Study Research and teaching.

Analysis

Analysis methods.

Analysis

Analysis.

  1. How are points analysed, from use-wear to sourcing of stone? provenance
  2. Which entry fits lithic analysis? action

Teach

Teaching.

Teach

Teaching.

  1. How are projectile points taught in archaeology? action
  2. Which misconceptions arise, such as calling all points arrowheads? provenance

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Physical world and living systems
Entry kind
thing
Plane
PHY
Domain
PHY.OBJ
Other names and narrower kinds
Adams Diamond, Adams Triangular, Adder Orchard Stemmed, Addison Micro-Drill, Adena Blade, Adena Leaf Shaped Points, Adena Narrow Blade, Adena Points, Adena Snapped Base, Adena stemmed, Adena Vanishing Stem, Affinis Snyders Corner Notch

What it is Filled

The stone, bone, antler or metal tip fitted to an arrow, dart or spear, recovered as an archaeological artefact and classified by shape, size, hafting and manufacture into named types that help date sites and trace cultures; projectile points are among the most studied artefacts in prehistoric archaeology, especially in the Americas.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent explain what projectile points are and how archaeologists classify and date them, relay typologies and recording standards from archaeological references, relay finds law, and separate points from other stone tools and from modern arrowheads.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Tip for a projectile
  • Hafting element as the classifying feature
  • Named types tied to periods and regions
  • Manufacture by flaking, grinding or casting

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Help locate, dig up or sell projectile points from protected sites or land without permission.
  • Present a fake or modern reproduction as a genuine artefact.
  • Strip a point of its find context in records or listings.
  • Assign a point to a living community's ancestors without evidence or consultation.

Only with a human decision

  • Deciding on export, sale or repatriation of an artefact.

May

  • Describe and classify a projectile point from published typologies, stating the type and its dating basis.
  • Record find details reported by archaeologists or finders to the relevant heritage record.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Unrecorded collecting destroys the evidence that makes these objects meaningful.
  • Many points come from lands of Indigenous peoples who have a stake in their care.

Who is affected

  • Indigenous and descendant communities
  • Archaeologists and museums
  • Landowners

Owners Filled

Steward

The landowner or the state, as heritage law decides; museums hold excavated material in trust.

Master systems

  • National and regional heritage and sites records

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q1700214 - registry parent class

related

  • archaeological artefact - a recovered object
  • projectile weapon - as a component in the past
  • lithic typology - the method
  • knife - a bifacial tool with a different use

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.projectile-point
  • Wikidata: Q2308299 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2308299)
  • type name: regional typology such as Clovis or Adena
  • find number: site record

Direct properties required Filled

  • length: about 1-15 cm
  • materials: chert, obsidian, quartzite, bone, antler, metal materials

Recognition required Filled

  • Pointed tip with a hafting element: stem, notch or fluted base
  • Bifacial flaking on stone examples
  • Knives, scrapers and drills are other tool types
  • A pointed, often bifacially flaked stone with a base for hafting, from a centimetre to over ten centimetres long.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • explain form, manufacture and hafting
  • explain typologies and dating
  • relay recording and finds law
  • distinguish points from other tools

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Loss of context through unrecorded collecting
  • Misclassification and fakes
  • Illegal collecting on protected land

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • Antiquities and finds law on ownership and reporting
  • Archaeological recording standards
  • Rules on collecting from public lands

Context of use required Filled

  • Not for anything today; evidence of past technology and culture.
  • dart and spear points
  • arrow points
  • fluted points such as Clovis and Folsom
  • stemmed, notched and triangular types
  • bone and antler points
  • metal points

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q2308299: projectile point - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Projectile point - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should major point types be separate entries?
  • How should regional typologies be linked?
  • The registry entry has merged aliases naming many specific types; should they be split off?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q2308299/spec.json