Deux séances de tir expérimental à l’arc et au propulseur co-organisées avec P. Cattelain eurent lieu au Cedarc/musée du Malgré-Tout (Treignes, Belgique) en 2003 et 2004. Leur principal objectif était de reconstituer le fonctionnement des armatures de projectile en bois de cervidé du Magdalénien supérieur d’Isturitz. Le projet incluait également l’étude des stigmates d’impact sur les ossements des quatre animaux-cibles utilisés, étude qui fait l’objet de cet article. L’observation des 127 traces nous a incité à réviser en partie la nomenclature de P. Morel. Par ailleurs, nous avons relevé certaines corrélations entre la nature de la trace d’impact, la morphologie et le degré de minéralisation de l’os. En revanche, nos observations ne nous ont pas permis de distinguer l’utilisation de l’arc de celle du propulseur.

In 2003 and 2004, two series of projectile experiments were organized by P. Cattelain and ourselves at the CEDARC/Musée du Malgré-Tout (Treignes, Belgium). The experiments involved the use of two male ox calves and two female fallow deers as targets for bow and spearthrower shooting. Our main focus was a functional analysis of the antler projectile tips from the Upper Magdalenian layer of the Isturitz cave site (Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France). The study of the impact traces on the bones of the target animals was also included in the project; its results are presented here. The observation of these 127 traces led us to reconsider the nomenclature suggested by P. Morel, and to distinguish between three major traces: notches, punctures and perforations. Correlations appear between the nature of the trace and the shape of the bone (e.g., scapulae strongly associated to perforations), and the boneʼs mineral content: compared to adult long bones, immature long bones are much more easily perforated by projectile points, which usually remain firmly caught in them. However, our results do not show a clear distinction between the impact traces left by the bow and by the spearthrower.