- Atlatl
When Spaniards first met the Aztecs in around 1500, the explorers were horrified when their armor was easily penetrated by the Aztec throwing darts. The Aztecs achieved this feat with the atlatl, a simple device used by many ancient peoples Tor long-range hunting. It probably dates from around 23,000 B.C.E.
The atlatl consists of a throwing board and a dart about 6 feet (180 cm) long. The board, typically about 2 feet (60 cm) long, has a spur at its end. The dart’s rear is cut down the middle so that it fits onto the spur like two fingers around a card. Gripping a handle at the front end of the throwing board, the atlatl thrower can hurl the dart with considerably more force than he could by hand.
During the thrower's tennis swing-like motion, the flexible dart flexes and energy build up. The dart is weighted with a stone tip and often another counterweight to maximize the build up of energy.
When the atlatl dart is released, the spring energy in the flexible dart is added to the forward force, accelerating the dart to speeds that can exceed 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). The atlatl was so effective at bringing down prey that some scholars
speculate it may have played a significant role in the extinction of the North American woolly mammoth. Now, at least 25,000 years after its invention, the atlatl is still used by enthusiastic hobbyists.
SEE ALSO: STONE TOOLS, SPEAR, BOW AND ARROW, BOOMERANG, CROSSBOW, CATAPULT
- Axe
More than a million years ago, members of the species Homo erectus were making stone tools designed for chopping that can be described as early hand axes. They were teardrop-shaped and roughly made, flaked on either side to form a sharp cutting edge. However, not until the rise of farming during the late Stone Age did such tools come to resemble what we would now recognize as the axe. There was widespread trade in these tools around this time and stone axes have been uncovered at many Neolithic meeting meeting places.
Axes clearly designed to be mounted (hafted) on handles have been found at a site near Mount Hagen in New Guinea. By analysing samples of pollen from around the same era-thought be around 8,000 years ago-archaeologists have concluded that they were probably employed in the opening up of the rain forest, during agricultural development, to allow light to reach crops.
By the Bronze Age in Britain, woodworkers had developed a range of axes for different cutting purposes. Archaeologists have been able to suggest what these might have looked like by experimenting with their own reconstructed tools, to produce different cut marks.
Although primarily a functional tool, the axe is also a symbol of power. It is possible to identify the remains of highly ranked members of a society by looking at their grave goods, which sometimes include axes. For example, an excavation of a Bulgarian cemetery dating back to 4000 B.C.E. uncovered a number of gold-covered axes. Their inclusion in the grave has been interpreted as signifying high levels of authority.
SEE ALSO: STONE TOOLS, SHARP STONE BLADE, CARPENTRY, SAW, CLAW HAMMER