An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c24.s2.2

v1.c24.s2.2

*19.2.1 Harpoons.* Harpoons similar in shape to those from the Copper Hoards occur among bone objects of the Magdalenian culture, widely removed from the Copper Hoards in time and space. Though simple barbs from Transcaucasia, Talish and Luristan in Iran are known, they could scarcely have, in spite of the insistence of Heine-Geldern, 1936, 1937, inspired the Indian specimens. Similarly the multibarbed Mesolithic [4.5] horn harpoons mentioned by Gordon, 1958, cannot have anything to do with the Copper Hoard ones. The intermediate land-mass has not yet yielded specimens to suggest any cultural link. On the contrary nearer home the harpoons are comparable with the ones depicted on the cave paintings [13] at GHORMANGUR, Dt Mirzapur, and indicate the source of inspiration as suggested by Lal, 1951, p. 35.