Originally Posted by
S. Galbraith
A bigger arrowhead would have more mass, and thus more momentum, and thus penetrate more deeply. Of course, there is a LOT more to the equation with edged weapons such as point profile, point thickness, and edge angle. So, not an exact science. Given the weakly powered bows of the time, I'm sure that what they were using was the best technology of the day. Flatter arrow trajectory, and a shorter travel time to target. The higher velocity of the lighter arrow cuts better too. After all, a thrown knife penetrates much more deeply than one that pushed into the target. People who have to kill on a daily basis tend to be pretty pragmatic about their equipment selection.
I will admit up front I am not any sort of bow expert. But a larger head would have more friction once penetrated and would slow faster(?). It would have more momentum but also a lot more friction. An ice pick penetrates more easily than a broad sword.
I would think that the larger head etc for large game like mammoth is to provide a stronger head to penetrate hide, grissel (however you spell it, etc). You need to break through the "armor" first, which is where the more massive heads would come in handy.
Maybe these "bird points" were more about using a material that could penetrate through hide etc. Stone being more powerful than wood.
Is this thinking wrong?
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