Sauveterrian Point
Projectile point
Mesolithic
11 500 to 6 700 years
Small straight bladelet, pointed by unilateral and bilateral retouch.
M.N. Brézillon, La dénomination des objets de pierre taillée. Supplément à Gallia Préhistoire. C.N.R.S, Paris. 1969
Commentary :
A Sauveterrian point is a tiny, very thin, lithic armature that is never more than 20 mm long, made on small flint bladelets with abrupt retouch on both edges.
Sauveterrian points were hafted onto arrows, either alone or in a row, using natural adhesives composed of wax and resin.
This type of microlithic point appears more than 9000 years ago in Western Europe and the Mediterranean, between the end of the Upper Paleolithic and the beginning of the Neolithic.
It is known and used by most Sauveterrian hunter-gatherer groups throughout this period.
In the new temperate forest landscapes of the postglacial period, Sauveterrian points usher in hunting strategies based on the generalized use of simple wooden bows.