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The Point: Arrowheads and the Bow – the Rise and Fall

From the earliest stone points 71,000 years ago to the iron‑age arrowheads of the Romans, this ten‑minute film traces the technological and cultural journey of the bow and its projectiles.

Chapters

• 0:07 The Dawn of the Arrow
• 0:58 From Wood to Bronze
• 2:07 Empire and Iron
• 4:10 Roman and Classical Legacy

On-screen text

• 0:07 The Dawn of the Arrow
• 0:14 The Dawn of the Arrow
• 0:31 71 ka arrowheads with hafting residues Historical record · Wadley et al., Science 2015 (Sibudu Cave, South Africa)
• 0:49 Solutrean leaf points as arrows Historical record · Musée National d'Archéologie, France (Solutrean laurel leaf points, 22–17 ka)
• 0:58 From Wood to Bronze
• 1:05 From Wood to Bronze
• 1:22 8 ka Holmegaard yew bow Historical record · National Museum of Denmark (Holmegaard bow, ca. 8 ka)
• 1:40 Star Carr barbed arrowheads Historical record · Star Carr excavation report, 1995 (North Yorkshire, UK, 9 ka)
• 1:58 Çatalhöyük bronze arrowheads Historical record · Çatalhöyük Research Project, 2010 (Çatalhöyük, Turkey, 7.5 ka)
• 2:07 Empire and Iron
• 2:14 Empire and Iron
• 2:31 Tutankhamun tomb shows recurved bows Historical record · Tomb of Tutankhamun wall painting, 14th century BCE
• 2:49 Assyrian inscription mentions composite bows Historical record · Ashurnasirpal II inscription, British Museum (9th century BCE)
• 3:07 Hittite reliefs of composite bows Historical record · Hattusa relief, 14th century BCE
• 3:25 Mycenaean socketed bronze arrowheads Historical record · National Archaeological Museum, Athens (Mycenaean bronze arrowheads, 13th century BCE)
• 3:43 Hallstatt iron leaf arrowheads Historical record · Museum of Prehistory, Halle (Hallstatt leaf‑shaped iron arrowheads, 800–500 BCE)
• 4:01 Late Iron Age iron arrowheads Historical record · Iron Age grave at Hallstatt, 6th century BCE (British Museum)
• 4:10 Roman and Classical Legacy
• 4:17 Vindolanda, Britain, 1st century CE Historical record · Vindolanda tablets, British Museum (1st century CE)
• 4:53 Iliad, Greece, c. 8th century BCE Tradition / scripture · Homer, Iliad (8th century BCE)

Sources

Historical record: Wadley et al., Science 2015 (Sibudu Cave, South Africa) · Musée National d'Archéologie, France (Solutrean laurel leaf points, 22–17 ka) · National Museum of Denmark (Holmegaard bow, ca. 8 ka) · Star Carr excavation report, 1995 (North Yorkshire, UK, 9 ka) · Çatalhöyük Research Project, 2010 (Çatalhöyük, Turkey, 7.5 ka) · Tomb of Tutankhamun wall painting, 14th century BCE · Ashurnasirpal II inscription, British Museum (9th century BCE) · Hattusa relief, 14th century BCE · National Archaeological Museum, Athens (Mycenaean bronze arrowheads, 13th century BCE) · Museum of Prehistory, Halle (Hallstatt leaf‑shaped iron arrowheads, 800–500 BCE) · Iron Age grave at Hallstatt, 6th century BCE (British Museum) · Vindolanda tablets, British Museum (1st century CE)

Tradition / scripture: Homer, Iliad (8th century BCE)

The Institute's interpretation: [interpretation: Campbell, J. (1998) 'The Roman Composite Bow', Journal of Roman Military Studies]

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 94 s of CPU.