Rise of archery in Andes Mountains dated to 5,000 years ago--earlier than previous research
DECEMBER 20, 2023
Editors' notes
by Greg Watry, UC Davis
Focusing on the Lake Titicaca Basin in the Andes mountains, a team of anthropologists found through analysis of 1,179 projectile points that the rise of archery technology dates to around 5,000 years ago. Credit: Luis Flores-Blanco
When did archery arise in the Americas? And what were the effects of this technology on society?
These questions have long been debated among anthropologists and archaeologists. But a study led by a University of California, Davis, anthropologist, is shining light on this mystery. The work is published in Quaternary International.
Focusing on the Lake Titicaca Basin in the Andes mountains, anthropologists found through analysis of 1,179 projectile points that the rise of archery technology dates to around 5,000 years ago. Previous research held that archery in the Andes emerged around 3,000 years ago.
The new research indicates that the adoption of bow-and-arrow technology coincided with both the expansion of exchange networks and the growing tendency for people to reside in villages.
. . .
In addition, the team compared their projectile data to archaeological data from the region concerning settlement sizes, raw material availability and cranial trauma data. During the Terminal Archaic period, settlement sizes increased but the total number of settlement sites decreased, researchers said. Not only that, but the inhabitants lacked signs of social violence, even though they had access to exotic raw materials.
More:
https://phys.org/news/2023-12-archery-andes-mountains-dated-years.html
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