Spear (Other Keyword)

DOCUMENT Citation Only G E van Buren.

J. Whittaker: [Most of the book is devoted to an eccentric and not very useful splitter typology scheme based on 35 attributes, with point names unused by anyone else and quite unnecessary.] Discusses design influences on points, including bows: N. Am. relatively weak, would use light arrows, thus average arrowhead should be 4 gm, although up to 17 gm possible. Various possible point hafting techniques. Atlatls: darts depicted on pre-hispanic art (Nuttall) suggest lengths 26-50 inches [Too...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Jeffrey Quilter.

J. Whittaker: Nothing to suggest coordinated formations, or attacks on fortification, most agree essence of M war was one-on-one combat for captures. Larco (2001) major source of info; in his museum distinguishes darts from lances (over 2 m long), no dart specimens. Darts always shown as compound weapons with long pt and thicker shaft. Lances or long spears rarely shown in M art. Copper spikes 25-50 cm long Larco thinks lance pts, but could be dart pts, would need counter weight on shaft to...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Bruce D Dickson.

J. Whittaker: [Thorough review, good references, some mistakes.] Seems to accept theory of lengthened contact with spear rather than lever or spring. Most experiments show weights are no help. Atlatl survived for advantages in aquatic hunting and warfare.

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 Heidi Knecht.

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

DOCUMENT Citation Only Tiberius Bader. Frank Trommer. Patrick Geiger.

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 Richard A Baugh.

J. Whittaker: Atlatl is a lever, operating principle is “Wrist torque applied to the length of the atlatl allows wrist rotation to increase the velocity of the dart.” Simple computer model to predict velocity of dart, affected by mass of dart and length and mass of atlatl. Horizontal force and wrist torque versus hand position derived from video record of throws; two other variables are hand mass and hand radius of gyration. Some horizontal force applied by hand, but most force from wrist...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Wm Jack Hranicky.

J. Whittaker: [Again a mixed bag. The short atlatl section is not useful - out of date, relies on strange flexing theories.]

DOCUMENT Citation Only S E Churchill. D Schmidt. William L Hylander.

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 Steven E Churchill. William L Hylander. Daniel Schmitt.

J. Whittaker: Argues that Neanderthal humeri are asymmetrical, with right more robust. They are wider front to back, compared to Upper Paleolithic humeri which are rounder, consistent with (tortional) throwing loads. Neanderthal asymmetry more likely to result from thrusting spears, and the Lower and Middle Paleolithic spears so far found are large and heavy, better for thrusting than throwing. In an underhand thrust, the strong hand is at the back, and takes most of the (bending) stress....

DOCUMENT Citation Only Martin J Smith. Megan Brickley. Stephany Leach.

J. Whittaker: Stone point wounds in bone hard to identify without embedded point. Experiments show can be done both macro and microscopically, and stone points often leave embedded fragments. Used longbow + flint points, shot into bones with some soft tissue [carcasses would have been better]. Also points attached to mechanical striker calibrated in joules (kinetic energy) to compare penetration and tangential strikes on cattle scapulae (structurally similar to human cranium). Several...

DOCUMENT Citation Only C Mau.

J. Whittaker: Experiments with distance as criterion. Points of copper tube, 1/8 to 1 oz, darts lengths 2.5-5.5 ft, atlatls 12-30 inches long - 24" best. Best distance (180-200' usual) with unfletched 36", 3/8" diam, wt 2.5 oz, pt 1 oz, balance ca. 31% from tip. Fletched shaft allows use of lighter points, balance less important, reduced range. Speculations on prehist point styles. Bannerstones - pipe of different weights at different places on atlatls. Best was moderate weight, ca. 5 oz,...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Pierre Cattelain.

J. Whittaker: [Typological notes on prehistoric bone artifacts, book 2, Spearthrowers] First finds by Lartet and Christy 1864 Laugerie-Basse, identified as harpoon tip with barb, recognized in publication by de Mortillet 1891 (and unknown correspondant from Ireland in 1864). Distinguishes three types: male, female, and androgenous [hook + groove like Basketmaker]. Considers only specimens that are clearly parts of atlatls, 118 pieces. Hook wear: slight ring depression around tip, scratches on...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Thomas W Neumann.

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 Heidi Knecht.

J. Whittaker: Good summary, excellent references, especially for European sources. Discusses atlatls: little ethnographic information available, lots of experiments, gives summary of weight hypotheses. Cites earliest spear thrower date: 17,470+/-250 on an antler hook from the Solutrean (Upper Paleolithic) of Combe Sauniere, France.

DOCUMENT Citation Only Pat Lowe.

J. Whittaker: Personal accounts of tracking-related natural history, nice photos. Lowe married Jimmy Pike and learned from him and relatives in Walmajarri people. Female perspective, lots mention women hunting, including with spears and other weapons. Central desert depopulated since 1960s, nobody living old life now, but many hunt and visit and know old ways. Hunter’s tools: digging stick, coolamon wood dish, kana probe or spear (kularta), spear thrower (ngalpiliny), hunting sticks. Male...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Claire Letourneaux. Jean-Marc Pétillon.

J. Whittaker: Upper Magdalenian (Upper Paleolithic) antler points, fork-based or double beveled, from Isturitz, France. Could be on darts or arrows - earliest definite bow evidence is Ahrensburgian arrow shafts from Stellmoor, Germany, ca 2000 yrs younger than Up Magd. Replicated pts on foreshafts with hide glue and sinew, used (96) on arrows with self bow, and atlatl darts 2.5 m L, 157-193 gm, atlatls of Up Pal type 50-70 cm long, Chauvaux, Cattelain, Demoulin, and Rivere throwers. Two...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Marlize Lombard. Justin Pargeter.

J. Whittaker: HP = Middle Stone Age, S Africa, ca 70-55,000 BP. Distinctive backed blade segments and blade tools. Use as barbs or tips on projectile weapons? Tested 4 configurations, look at fractures. Glued into slotted wood shafts [look real crude to me - dowels with saw cut ends, apparently taped to larger shaft]. Machine [not specified] launch, 10 per weapon, 27 weapons, 167 shots into impala carcass. 85% penetrated, 37% survived all 10 shots. Transverse hafted segments least effective....

DOCUMENT Citation Only Geoffrey Cunnar. William Schindler. Anne Underhill. Fengshi Luan. Hui Fang.

Collaborative excavations by the Shandong University and Field Museum at the Longshan Period site of Liangchengzhen in eastern Shandong Province, China have uncovered over 200 projectile points constructed from several prevalent material types of varying hardness. The majority of the points were finished by grinding. The smaller percentage were finished by pressure flaking. Raw materials utilized in projectile point manufacture included chlorite schist, chert and talc schist. To better...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Hans G Buchholz. Stephan Foltiny. Olaf Hockmann.

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 Heidi Knecht.

J. Whittaker: Different bone/antler points replicated and tested on carcasses. Atlatl assumed, but crossbow used in controlled experiments.

DOCUMENT Citation Only Wm Jack Hranicky.

J. Whittaker: [Full of useful information on lithics and related topics much beyond the focus on Middle Potomac, but rather incoherently organized and written, and he’s too fond of creating bad new jargon.] Lots of illustrations of varying quality. Major sections on chronology, lithic technology, point typology, flake tools, caches, miscellaneous implements, and experimental archaeology. [Small section on atlatls, not well defined, not very useful information. Illustrates atlatl hook of...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Errett Callahan. David Wescott.

J. Whittaker: “The Ginsburg experiment” – butchering circus elephant with Stanford, Bonnichsen, Morlan, G. Haynes in 1978. Focus here on spear tests to examine hafting and basal ends of Clovis points. A few hand throws – penetration only to point hafting. Most throws with simple stick atlatl, unweighted – penetration half depth of chest cavity. Concludes atlatl necessary to kill elephant with Clovis weaponry. Variety of points and haftings tried, some illustrated. Deep slot, tapered distal end...