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from the I-didn't-know-what-it-was-either dept.
Bows are more accurate, have greater range, and can fire more frequently than spears. They mostly replaced the spear. In many areas where thrown spears were used for a longer time, a lever known as an atlatl was use to add power to the throws. Some Canadian researchers reckon that if bow use, for example, was learned by children using child-sized bows and arrows, then spear use would be learned by children using child-sized spears and atlatls. Now they seem to have found archeological evidence of that in Par-Tee, Oregon, USA where they have uncovered small, child-sized whalebone atlatls.
The Par-Tee atlatls were made during what appear to have been the last few centuries of the widespread use of these weapons on the northern Oregon Coast; they were perhaps employed alongside the newly introduced bow and arrow. Their unusually high abundance at Par-Tee—they are more numerous here than at any other site on the west coast of North America—is difficult to explain. Most atlatls were probably made of wood, and therefore do not survive in most archaeological settings. Although the use of whalebone for atlatls at Par-Tee has facilitated their survival at this location, the reason for the repeated selection of bone for the crafting of these weapons is unknown. The choice to employ whalebone cannot be explained by differential access to this material alone, as bones from these animals could have been found whenever they washed ashore. Furthermore, it is unclear whether the use of whalebone improved the performance of atlatls compared to other types of locally available material. Perhaps this use of whalebone represents unique practices of marking status through the use of the body parts of truly powerful animals. Alternatively, this could have been a means of indicating close relations to, or high regard of, these animals among the inhabitants of Par-Tee, who appear to have sometimes hunted whales.
Source: Learning to use atlatls: equipment scaling and enskilment on the Oregon Coast.
Even just a few hundred years ago, archers had far more skill than the inept fumblings we are used to seeing. Archer Lars Andersen demonstrates archery on another level. (Direct link to Lars Anderson's YouTube page.) His major complaint is lack of strength, so the strength and skill training for that must have historically started in childhood. So why not similarly for spears?
(Score: 4, Interesting) by c0lo on Tuesday December 17 2019, @01:59AM (5 children)
Has to do with the mass of the projectile contributing to the penetration depth and the damage the hunted game sustains on a hit (even if not fatal). Think pistol over shotgun
For large/slow moving game and open-space, javelins may offer big advantages.
- large game - the precision doesn't matter that much. If you manage to weaken the animal (causing muscle/tendon ruptures), the ensuing pursuit will get the stake on your plate faster than those non-fatal stinging arrow (which may not penetrate deep enough a thick hide to cause fatal bleeding).
- slow moving - heh, needs to be, javelin throws don't have much of a range. But a "retaliating" large animal has some inertia, so dodging (e.g. a charging bull) is still an option.
- open space - need space around you to throw a javelin, too many trees and bushes around aren't convenient to the use of javelins
I would expect javelin to be used mostly in hunting bison in the prairies and/or mammoths in Siberia.
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As for a war weapon: shields are effective for protection against arrow volleys (remember the greek phalanx? Good enough for the romans to have used it). Plus one may make a compelling case of a spear being better [youtube.com] than a sword [youtube.com] on battlefields.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday December 17 2019, @03:49AM
Other linkies:
- A brief table on Comparison of the spear and the bow-and-arrow as hunting weapons [researchgate.net]
- External ballistics of Pleistocene hand-thrown spears: experimental performance data and implications for human evolution [nature.com]. No atlatl. With some HS videos. Very effective in the KE (max in experiment for a first-point impact = 444 J) and momentum imparted (max 17 kg*m/s) to the target. 25% chance of hitting the target at approx 20m, varies with the throwing distance and experience of the throwers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 5, Touché) by coolgopher on Tuesday December 17 2019, @04:01AM (2 children)
Look, if I wanted the stake on my plate, I wouldn't have thrown it in the first place! ;)
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday December 17 2019, @04:14AM
👍👍👍👍👍
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 17 2019, @04:33AM
Depends. Make get there faster if you throw it on your plate to begin with.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 17 2019, @05:40PM
Speculation here, but all these points make me think atlatls may have been used to throw spears at whales.