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Tanged points, microblades and Late Palaeolithic hunting in Korea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Chuntaek Seong
Chuntaek Seong*
Affiliation:
*Department of Archaeology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 305-764, Korea (South) (Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

The present study examines the stone weapons available in Late Palaeolithic Korea, showing how the change in lithics signals a change in hunting strategy. In advance of the Late Glacial Maximum, a tanged spear tip flourished, reflecting the hunting of large mammals associated with the colder climate. In the more variable climate that followed, the prevalence of microliths suggests lightweight composite hunting weapons mostly used in pursuit of small game and diverse food resources. These weapons eventually included bow and arrows in the final Pleistocene.

Keywords

KoreaPalaeolithiclithicsspearsarrows
Type
Research
Information
Antiquity , Volume 82 , Issue 318 , December 2008 , pp. 871 - 883
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 2008

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