Atlatl (Other Keyword)

DOCUMENT Citation Only Ruben G Mendoza.

J. Whittaker: Revisionist efforts attempt to refute accounts of Aztec sacrifice as “racist, colonialist” etc. But our understanding of large-scale sacrifice not based only on Spanish accounts, also arch evidence of ritual violence - experiments in heart excision, serological study of deposits, forensic analysis of skeletal remains, including numerous sites with evidence of peri-mortem mutilation and cannibalism, 170 crania from tsompantli skull rack at Tlatelolco associated with stone tools used...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Ross Hassig.

J. Whittaker: Compiled from various sources. Atlatl predates Aztecs, although some myth claims they invented it, or credits god Opochtli. Surviving examples often ornate, perhaps for ceremonial occasions, ca. 2 feet long with hook and groove. Grips with loops, holes, or pegs. [Poor photo shows elaborate atlatl with apparently simple grip; codex drawing shows peg grips on atlatls used against Spanish] Darts made of oak and fletched, a variety of points used. Shown in art carried in hand, not...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Thom Richardson.

J. Whittaker: Reports velocity tests on variety of weapons including atlatl, sling, bow, crossbow, early guns. Atlatl velocity: average 15.82 m/sec (35.47 mph) max 17.9 m/sec. Compared to spear 12.5 m/sec, slings and bows in 30-40s m/sec, arquebus bullet ca 400 m/sec. [But no info at all given on the atlatl, or the thrower, and these velocities seem really low, not enough better than hand thrown spear, see Whittaker + Kamp - our velocities 20-25 m/sec. So did they really know what they were...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Lorenz W Bruechert.

J. Whittaker: Atlatl weight theory (Webb) is most accepted, but experiments show doesn't add force or velocity. Baer, Blair suggest "spinning stone" [= spindle whorl] from ethnographic analogy, a find with short slate shaft in bannerstone hole [but only a few wild fibers are suitable for spinning, and associations documented by Webb and others suggest atlatl connection].

DOCUMENT Citation Only Bob Berg.

J. Whittaker: Part of a kit of tools used to make and repair atlatl darts - bannerstone is spindle weight to spin string and taper dart shafts. Experiments to show it works - need cordage for whipping dart shafts and attach fletching. Used as flywheel on bowdrill arrangement to spin shaft while using abrasive in leather to round and smooth dart shaft. Bannerstones are designed to spin, and holes range from too large to too small for atlatl, and too heavy. [These last are unsupported assumptions...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Dan Elliot.

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DOCUMENT Citation Only Byron W Knoblock.

J. Whittaker: Reprinted 1965? mostly plates, a few color. Primarily typology + illustrations, of perforated bannerstones only. Discusses manufacture, good illustrations of unfinished specimens, some experiments in drilling. Prefers ceremonial or ornamental use theory, tribal symbols, but includes some others, e.g. section on Indian Knoll and Moore's theory that antler hooks were netting needles, bannerstones were mesh spacers, which he likes. Also letter from Webb arguing for atlatl part...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Byron W Knoblock.

J. Whittaker: Reprinted 1965? Original 1939. Mostly plates, a few color. Primarily typology + illustrations, of perforated bannerstones only. Discusses manufacture, good illustrations of unfinished specimens, some experiments in drilling. Prefers ceremonial or ornamental use theory, tribal symbols, but includes some others, e.g. section on Indian Knoll and Moore's theory that antler hooks were netting needles, bannerstones were mesh spacers, which he likes. Also letter from Webb arguing for...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Mary L Kwas.

J. Whittaker: Name “bannerstone” assumed ritual or social function. Moorehead 1917 first systematic classification: lunate, bilunate, bipennate, geniculate. Knoblock 1939 major work, base for typology although his evolutionary scheme has no empirical support. Researchers tend to ignore bannerstones or inadequately describe. Functional theories: 1) Ceremonial staff. NC find of 3 mounted on stone shafts a foot long (Baer 1921), and wear on only part of hole (Knoblock 1939), also fancy material,...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Kermit Wilkison.

J. Whittaker: Anecdotes, metal weights taped on for experiments, weights behind fletching work well.

DOCUMENT Citation Only Phil R Geib.

J. Whittaker: Experiments and microwear show that horn rods “gaming pieces” in Sand Dune Cave cache are actually knapping punches for manufacture of dart points. SDC cache included hafted and unfinished points.

DOCUMENT Citation Only Townsend, Earl C., Jr..

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DOCUMENT Citation Only Vincent Dale. Christopher R. Lintz.

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DOCUMENT Citation Only Breck Crystal.

J. Whittaker: 65 lb bow, killed with dacite point which stopped on inside of opposite rib; steel point and antler point also made shots that would kill.

DOCUMENT Citation Only Orville H Peets.

J. Whittaker: Fragile but functional, his replica survives atlatl weight/hook use. Possible evolution from hand, throw with finger on end of dart, use short "palm" atlatl like Santa Barbara which adds force but is hard to balance, to lengthened atlatl or weighted atlatl to balance spear. [No description of how he used his bannerstone, but photos show he put it on extreme end of atlatl and used edge of butterfly wing as hook for dart.] Recommends a "brake" in motion as dart leaves atlatl...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Stephen R. James.

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DOCUMENT Citation Only W. S. Webb. W. G. Haag.

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DOCUMENT Citation Only Jane R Sliva.

J. Whittaker: Late Archaic - San Pedro + Cienega points - refined typology. SP = large, corner to side notched. C = smaller, triangular, corner notched, expanding stem, pressure flaked. Cienega subtypes: C Flared, C Long, C Short, C Stemmed. Rework could make C Long become C short or stemmed, but average C Short not fit model. Temporal seriation: C Short, C Long, Stemmed, Flared - C14 from 2800-1600 bp. Thomas/Shott discriminant analysis says all Short and Stemmed, some Flared and Long =...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Bob Kitch.

This resource is a citation record only, the Center for Digital Antiquity does not have a copy of this document. The information in this record has been migrated into tDAR from the EXARC Bibliography, originally compiled by Roeland Paardekooper, and updated. Most of these records consist of a document citation and other metadata but do not have the documents themselves uploaded. If you have a digital copy of the document and would like to have it curated in tDAR, please contact us using the...

DOCUMENT Citation Only David Wescott. David Wescott.

J. Whittaker: Distance records by Wayne Brian: 616'11.5" on record, personal best 664'. Whippy flyrod atlatl, "tuned" with weight, unfletched 50" aluminium dart.

DOCUMENT Citation Only Dan F Morse. Phyllis A Morse.

J. Whittaker: Experiments are NOT dead in archaeology. [Then gives trivial examples and acts as if experimentation is just to help classify artifacts]. How long did Peets spend on atlatls [Implying waste of time]. What did Peets prove? “Demonstrating an object can function does not mean a priori that it did so function.” [The last is true but otherwise an obtuse discussion which misses the point of experimentation entirely]. Artifact names may be useful even if not reflecting function....

DOCUMENT Citation Only John L Palter.

J. Whittaker: Ethnographic specimens: 33 hand-thrown and 293 spear thrower spears [unfortunately not illustrated]. Hypothesized diffusion after 10,000 bp, but thrower not used all over Australia. Two length groups of spear thrower spears: 1) average 160 cm, 2) average 260cm. Hand-thrown spears average 267 cm. Mass: Hand-thrown average 740 gm, thrower average 246 gm. Decreased mass allows maximum velocity - led to composite reed spears, with hardwood points. Balance: spear thrower spears:...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Heidi Knecht.

J. Whittaker: Several simple manufacture and hafting systems described, for points that would have been used with atlatl darts.

DOCUMENT Citation Only Alf Webb.

J. Whittaker: Experimented with French Paleolithic and Inuit forms. Double the throwing distance of hand throw. Suggests 3:1 ratio of spear length to atlatl length. [He had information from Musee de Malgre Tout 1994, nothing new].

DOCUMENT Citation Only William S Webb.

J. Whittaker: [reprint of 1957] Reviews world atlatl types: most forms rigid, they increase length of arm. Paleolithic "weighted" forms (large carving with hook) are as inflexible as straight "unweighted" ones, so no advantage. Atlatl's importance in Archaic explains why is treated ceremonially in burials, but weights are not "bannerstones". “Enormous” numbers of fakes made 1890-1930 and on. Changes from 4000-1500 BC led to greater efficiency. Archaic and Basketmaker atlatls are "elastic...