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TANGED ATERIAN POINTS This picture shows a large number of tanged Aterian points that are reported to have been collected on sites in southern Morocco. They were all made from simple thick flakes struck from cores. Tanged Aterian points are very heavy duty projectile points. The smaller examples (they are reported up to 8 or 9 inches (20 to 22 cm) long) are believed to have been hafted onto darts or spears that were thrown by atlatls (spear throwers). These points were used to hunt large grazing animals such as white rhinoceros, extinct camels and large bovine (ox-like or cow-like). They were also used to hunt smaller animals like gazelle, fox, jackal, warthog, antelopes and ostrich. The points illustrated here were made from a variety of different cherts and some that appear to be Basalt or Rhyolite. They range in size from 2 5/8 inches (6.6 cm) long to1 5/16 inches (3.3 cm) long. Thickness ranges from 1/4 of an inch (5.5 mm) to 9/16 of an inch (1.4 cm).
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