flint arrowhead

This simple but pretty arrowhead is a copy of arrowheads used in Northern Africa around 8,000-12,000 years ago.  They’re sometimes called “hollow base” points due to the deep, concave base.  Large numbers of these points have been recovered from sand blow-outs created when high winds expose previously hidden artifacts.  This point is made of pink chert and has a deep concave base with long ears that would have performed as barbs when the arrow struck its prey.

Archaeological evidence shows that after the last Ice Age the Sahara desert wasn’t even a desert back then.  Frequent rainfall created lakes and streams that attracted large numbers of game, and with that came the humans who hunted them.  Prehistoric encampments found on the shores of ancient lakes and rivers also contained the bones of the animals they hunted; zebra, hippos, wild cats, and even shorebirds indicate there was abundant water during that remote time.  The subtle wobble in the earth’s rotation (which cycles every 26,000 years) began to shift weather patterns beginning around 4,500 years ago, ushering in much drier weather.  Artifacts like this arrow point speak to a much more productive time before climate shifts drove the rainfall away and allowed the Sahara to dry up and become the desolate place it is today.

Arrowhead specs:  Northern Africa (hollow base) arrowhead replica made of pink chert, 7/8″ long x 3/4″ wide.  Free shipping within the U.S.