Abstract:

Some authors have suggested that presence of children in the archaeological record can sometimes be detected through artifacts. Among other children's items that can be found in the archaeological record, it has been suggested that there is a possibility that children had used toy weapons, such as toy projectile points, that can sometimes be recovered and identified. This theory has been backed up by archaeological and ethnographic data. However, the presence of children in the archaeological record is not often investigated and there is limited literature on children's artifacts to date. In this paper I examine the possibility that some of the projectile points recovered at FaOm-1 were used as toys for children. I use criteria established by Bob Dawe (1997) for Plains Side Notched points to test this hypothesis. He identifies size and the quality of projectile points as criteria for distinguishing toys from weapons. First I look at the relevance of size for determining the function of a projectile point, the question of whether the manufacturers were adults or children, and the possible functions of a toy projectile point. I then analyze projectile points recovered at FaOm-1 according to these points and look at whether or not the function of small projectile points at FaOm-1 can be determined with the data acquired so far.