Spear with a serrated point
Javelin point
Lithuania
Width: 14mm
Thickness: 6mm
The javelin point on display was fashioned from a metatarsal of a large animal such as deer, elk, or aurochs. The point’s cross-section is flat-and-convex at the base and oval at the tip. The surface features two rounded indentations. They held pieces of flint which together formed a sharp edge. The flints were fixed to the edge with a pitch, viscous substance obtained from wood. Remains of the pitch have been preserved on the point to this day. Archaeologists have managed to recreate the process of manufacturing of the tool. First, the bone was cut to obtain a flat, convex surface. Next, the sides of the point, the tip, and the slots for the flint were formed. Finally, the point was ground and polished smooth. The artefact was found by Edward Plewiński in May 1871 in the vicinity of the locality of Potwiecie, in peat by the river.
The beige bone is rounded and narrows at the tip. It is slightly damaged in places. The surface is smooth and polished. Slits were cut along both sides. Several millimetres deep, they run the entire length of the point.
Thin pieces of flint would have been inserted in the slits to form a sharp edge. They were fixed with an adhesive substance, known as the binder. The point was fixed to the javelin shaft.
This artefact was found by Edward Plewiński in Lithuania on the banks of the Šeimena River in 1871.
Tools of this type frequently occur in: Scandinavia, North-Eastern Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia.