Charring AuhThe spear thrower, a device for incressing the force and accuracy spear, was not widely used uracy of Indians of the Northwest Const Estamos had a similar extensively, until the gun replaced the
Jens NotroffOriginal study:
J. Coppe et al., Terminal ballistic analysis of impact fractures reveals the use of #spearthrower 31 ky ago at Maisières-Canal, Belgium, #SciReports 13, 2023. 🔓
Terminal ballistic analysis of impact fractures reveals the use of spearthrower 31 ky ago at Maisières-Canal, Belgium - Scientific Reports
The emergence of hunting technology in the deep past fundamentally shaped the subsistence strategies of early human populations. Hence knowing when different weapons were first introduced is important for understanding our evolutionary trajectory. The timing of the adoption of long-range weaponry remains heavily debated because preserved organic weapon components are extremely rare in the Paleolithic record and stone points are difficult to attribute reliably to weapon delivery methods without supporting organic evidence. Here, we use a refined use-wear approach to demonstrate that spearthrower was used for launching projectiles armed with tanged flint points at Maisières-Canal (Belgium) 31,000 years ago. The novelty of our approach lies in the combination of impact fracture data with terminal ballistic analysis of the mechanical stress suffered by a stone armature on impact. This stress is distinct for each weapon and visible archaeologically as fracture proportions on assemblage scale. Our reference dataset derives from a sequential experimental program that addressed individually each key parameter affecting fracture formation and successfully reproduced the archaeological fracture signal. The close match between the archaeological sample and the experimental spearthrower set extends the timeline of spearthrower use by over 10,000 years and represents the earliest reliable trace-based evidence for the utilization of long-distance weaponry in prehistoric hunting.
Matt Willemsen150-year-old mystery of strange half-circles from Paleolithic site in France finally solved
Hurling spear-thrower projectiles at pig and deer carcasses revealed that these loops may have been finger grips.
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/150-year-old-mystery-of-strange-half-circles-from-paleolithic-site-in-france-finally-solved #spearthrower #atlatl #rings
Hurling spear-thrower projectiles at pig and deer carcasses revealed that these loops may have been finger grips.
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/150-year-old-mystery-of-strange-half-circles-from-paleolithic-site-in-france-finally-solved #spearthrower #atlatl #rings
The Shrine of Hidden KnowledgePuzzling rings may be finger loops from prehistoric weapon systems, research finds. #Archaeology #Atlatl #Spearthrower
https://phys.org/news/2023-05-puzzling-finger-loops-prehistoric-weapon.html
https://phys.org/news/2023-05-puzzling-finger-loops-prehistoric-weapon.html
Here's a particular nice #Magdalenien (i.e. 13,000 BCE) example of such a #SpearThrower with animal decoration (facsimile, though) from the cave of Le Mas d'Azil, SW #France.
For those interested: The "bird on a stick" has been discussed as possibly representing a #SpearThrower. https://t.co/PSNZKLyHQJ
