Advances in Perishable Weaponry Studies: Developing Perspectives from Dated Contexts to Experimental Analyses
Part of: Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)
This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Advances in Perishable Weaponry Studies: Developing Perspectives from Dated Contexts to Experimental Analyses" at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.
This symposium includes insights from researchers dating and analyzing extant perishable weapons systems and those replicating and experimenting with these organic materials. Because weapons are the primary tools by which human groups obtain animal protein and resolve (or exacerbate) conflicts over territory and resources, a holistic study of these systems (including experiential, replicative, and ballistic dimensions) is critical for forming an accurate view of past land-use patterns and economic systems. By bringing together a range of papers spanning dated and sourced weaponry to actualistic studies, this symposium aims to provide a more cohesive understanding of the emergence and applied use of weapons.
Other Keywords
Experimental Archaeology •
Material Culture and Technology •
Warfare •
Violence •
Hunter-Gatherers/Foragers •
Dating Techniques: Radiometric •
and Conflict •
Atlatl •
Use Wear •
Museum Collections
Geographic Keywords
North America (Continent) •
United States of America (Country) •
USA (Country) •
Arizona (State / Territory) •
Utah (State / Territory) •
Nevada (State / Territory) •
California (State / Territory) •
New Mexico (State / Territory) •
Oklahoma (State / Territory) •
Texas (State / Territory)
Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-7 of 7)
- Documents (7)
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Choose Your Weapon: Material Selection for Middle Pleistocene Spears (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Advances in Perishable Weaponry Studies: Developing Perspectives from Dated Contexts to Experimental Analyses" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The earliest archaeological weapons consist of one-piece wooden spears and throwing sticks from the Middle Pleistocene. These earliest weapons were made by late H. heidelbergensis and/or early H. neanderthalensis and were crafted from coniferous wood from at least 400,000 BP....
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Dueling with Basketmaker II Spearthrowers: What Can We Learn from Mock Combat? (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Advances in Perishable Weaponry Studies: Developing Perspectives from Dated Contexts to Experimental Analyses" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Changes in weapon technologies are likely to affect many social dimensions. Understanding a society’s weaponry is critical for making inferences not only about hunting but also how these groups engaged in conflict. The role of spearthrowers and darts in hunting is becoming...
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Investigating Beringian Hunting Toolkits from Experiential Perspectives (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Advances in Perishable Weaponry Studies: Developing Perspectives from Dated Contexts to Experimental Analyses" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Experimental archaeology is an underutilized methodology for investigating variability in projectile point technologies of Upper Paleolithic Siberia and Late Pleistocene/early Holocene eastern Beringia. This paper presents the results of a multifaceted experimental research...
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Perishable Weaponry from the Northern Colorado Plateau: Adding Temporal Context to Wayward Collections (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Advances in Perishable Weaponry Studies: Developing Perspectives from Dated Contexts to Experimental Analyses" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Archaeological sites in the high dry deserts of Eastern Utah have yielded remarkably preserved collections of perishable technological components of past lifeways. This includes many examples of projectile weaponry. These objects can add direct evidence to studies focused on the...
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Physics and Ballistics of the “Rabbit Stick” or Straight-Flying Boomerang (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Advances in Perishable Weaponry Studies: Developing Perspectives from Dated Contexts to Experimental Analyses" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Straight-flying boomerangs—in North America commonly referred to as rabbit sticks—were used worldwide for both hunting and combat. When properly designed and implemented, the boomerang functions as an airfoil and gyroscope, slicing through atmosphere, generating lift, and...
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Seven Millennia of Wood and Reed: A Preliminary Chronology of Weapons Systems from the West Texas Region (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Advances in Perishable Weaponry Studies: Developing Perspectives from Dated Contexts to Experimental Analyses" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The arid west Texas region has a wealth of large perishable assemblages offering unexplored research potential. This talk focuses on weapons systems recovered from both recent excavation work and existing collections from this area. We provide an overview of the diversity and...
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Toward Establishing a High-Resolution Chronological Record of the Atlatl-and-Dart to Bow-and-Arrow Transition in the Great Basin (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Advances in Perishable Weaponry Studies: Developing Perspectives from Dated Contexts to Experimental Analyses" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The adoption of the bow-and-arrow by Indigenous peoples was a significant event that had profound social and economic effects. In the Great Basin, researchers have traditionally placed the appearance of the bow-and-arrow weapon system between ~1800 and 1500 calendar years ago...