Jabrosky
Banned
In one of my prehistoric fantasy stories, I have a trio of hunter-gatherer ladies who hunt with obsidian-tipped spears. One of these characters gets her spear destroyed by a T. Rex and needs a replacement, but obsidian is hard to find in their jungle homeland except in volcanic foothills. The heroines decide instead that they should visit a village of horticulturalists who forge their weapons out of steel. The meat of the story should have something to do with the cultural contrast between these hunter-gatherers and the settled horticultural people.
Would steel really be a preferable material for spear-points over obsidian? I know metal is preferred over stone in most instances, but obsidian is special in that it's a very sharp material that is favored for surgical scalpels. That's why my heroines are using it to hunt dinosaurs in the first place. Does steel have any advantages over obsidian that would make it a worthwhile replacement?
Would steel really be a preferable material for spear-points over obsidian? I know metal is preferred over stone in most instances, but obsidian is special in that it's a very sharp material that is favored for surgical scalpels. That's why my heroines are using it to hunt dinosaurs in the first place. Does steel have any advantages over obsidian that would make it a worthwhile replacement?