Harpoon head · Late Prehistoric
Thule harpoon head
1000–1600 CE, Thule
The Thule harpoon head is the toggling head used by ancestral Inuit sea-mammal hunters across the Arctic from about 1,000 to 1,600 CE and into the Historic period. It detaches from the foreshaft and turns sideways in the wound, held by a line through its hole. Types are classified by socket, spur and blade slot and are used to date sites.
| Object | Harpoon head |
|---|---|
| Dates | 1000–1600 CE |
| Period | Late Prehistoric |
| Cultures | Thule |
| Regions | North America — Arctic & Subarctic |
Diagnostic traits
Toggling harpoon head of ivory or antler with a line hole, open or closed socket and a slotted end blade.
Identification
Thule heads have an open or closed socket, a line hole, a spur and a slot for a slate or metal end blade, unlike Dorset heads, which have twin line holes and self-blades. Materials are walrus ivory, antler and bone. Thule types 1 through 4 differ in socket and spur form.
Reproductions and fakes
Modern carvers reproduce harpoon heads from old ivory and antler; genuine pieces show stone- or iron-tool marks and a deep patina in the bore. Any 'Thule' head with rotary-tool striations is modern.
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Thule harpoon head" (Artifact type). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/types/thule-harpoon-head. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-thule-harpoon-head,
title = {Thule harpoon head},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/types/thule-harpoon-head}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, commons. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.