Beveled or “Rotary” Points

Campbell and Ellis in their article on the Rio Grande Atrisco Sites (American Antiquity Vol. 17, No. 3, 1952) say: “Perhaps the most interesting characteristic of the type (5 out of 8 specimens) is its tendency to show a definite rifling or beveling which would presumably insure its whirling in flight.” This is an amazing statement to find in a serious report made by two competent modern archaeologists.Beveling the edges of points is a very ancient trait. Fluted points have been found with beveled edges. However the reason for this beveling was not to insure the spinning of the shaft in flight; beveling is not productive of that effect. In fact, aerodynamically, there is not enough force generated against the surface of these bevels on any point small enough to serve as an arrow or atlatl dart tip, to spin the shaft. Spinning is achieved by the set of the feathering, but we know of no use of unfeathered arrows on this continent. Even the early atlatl darts seem to have been feathered at the nock end.