Weapon trials: the atlatl and experiments in hunting technology

Abstract

, edited by Jeff Ferguson, in prep. One of my favorite bits of archaeological jargon is the description of stone projectile points as part of “complex projectile delivery systems” (Christenson 1986). While I am amused at the formality of the words and the image of a little man in blue ringing your doorbell with an arrowhead, the point behind the verbiage is important. Most archaeological analyses of hunting technology work with orts and morts, fragmentary remains of relatively complicated composite tools. The most common survivors are imperishable stone components. Meanwhile, hunting has held a consistent fascination for many anthropologists, as a dramatic and “manly” occupation with considerable symbolic baggage in our own culture. One complication in the archaeological study of hunting is that modern hunting technology is often far removed from that of the past. Most modern hunters find “primitive” technology quite alien, and in order to understand the functioning and capabilities of past hunting gear, experiments with pre-industrial weaponry have been fairly common (Knecht 1997). In this paper I focus on the atlatl or spearthrower, with a historical slant, as it is important to show how experimentation responds to the archaeological problems of its time. The atlatl is essentially a stick with a hook or socket to engage the spear on one end

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