Spearhead of Native American Indian peoples. America, 13000-1000 BC.
Flint.
Provenance: private collection, Mézières-lez-Cléry, France. Acquired by inheritance in 2022.
Measurements: 9 x 3 x 0.5 cm.
Native American Indian peoples used spears and arrows for fishing, hunting, defence and even as ceremonial objects. These weapons had a shaft, which could be made of wood, and a sharp, cutting head at the top, which varied according to the tribe. The materials most commonly used for arrowheads were copper, obsidian and, as in this case, flint, a material characterised by its durability and abundance. Flint, which was worked by carving, giving it a cutting shape, was also useful because of its ability to cause sparks when it collided with other materials, giving rise to fire.