Assessing the use and lethality of simple wooden spears in the Middle Pleistocene: methods and results of human performance trials and actualistic studies

Summary

Evidence for hunting amongst hominin groups in northwestern Europe has emerged as a key archaeological research question over the past century. There are three clear archaeological signatures that suggest the possible manufacture and use of simple wooden weapons in Middle Pleistocene Europe: the collection of wooden spears from Schöningen in Germany from MIS 9, a wooden implement from Clacton-on-Sea from MIS 11, and a horse scapula with a possible impact fracture from Boxgrove from MIS 13.

Assessing simple wooden spears and purported damage signatures requires a critical and systematic approach. In discussing the efficacy of simple wooden spears, whether as thrusting or hand-thrown weapons on large mammals, published literature consistently cites estimates of human performance of their use, including speeds, forces and effective distances for both weapon systems, bringing into question results of controlled experiments. This paper presents an interdisciplinary analytical programme in response to these issues. We present methods and results for assessing the human performance of simple spears when used by trained subjects. We present further ongoing research involving archaeological and ethnographic examples of simple wooden spears, and experimental research that will help us understand damage signatures left by the earliest known weapons in the archaeological record.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

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