- Boomerang
The oldest boomerang so tar found was discovered in a cave in the Carpathian Mountains in southern Poland and is believed to be date from 18,000 B.C.E. The practice of throwing wood has also been illustrated in North African rock paintings that date from the Neolithic Age (approximately 6000 B.C.E). The wood thrown consists variously of a "throwing club," where the effect Is concentrated at one end, or a "throwing stick,” a sharpened, straight rod of hard wood that rotates, or a boomerang, which developed from these into a specialized form and has a return throw.
Ancient tribes in Europe are said to have used a throwing axe; in Egypt a special type of curved stick was used by the Pharaohs for hunting birds. The use of throwing Woods is though to have spread it throughout North Africa from Egypt to the Atlantic.
Boomerangs are most commonly associated with Australian Aborigines. They have been made in various shapes and sizes depending on their geographic origins and intended function. In the past they have been used as hunting weapons, musical instruments, battle clubs, and recreational toys. The most recognizable type is the returning boomerang Some have "turbulators” (bumps or pits on the top surface) to make the flight more predictable. A returning boomerang is an airfoil and its rapid spin makes it fly in a curve rather than a straight line.
Other types of boomerang are of the non returning sort, and some were not thrown at all but were used in hand-to-hand combat by Aboriginal people. The throwing wood, however, was mainly used for hunting rather than as a battle weapon.
SEE ALSO: STONE TOOLS, SHARP STONE BLADE, ATLATL,CARPENTRY
- Bow and Arrow
Evidence of the early use of bows and arrows has been found in cave paintings in western Europe and North Africa. It's development probably arose in the Upper Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) around 20,000 B.C.E., when people realized that the weapon would enable hunters to kill outside their throwing range.
Bows and arrows were portable, easy to make, and the materials to make them were relatively easy to obtain. The bow consisted of a thin flexible shaft of wood; this was bent, and a length of sinew, deer gut, plant fiber, or rawhide was strung tightly between its ends. Sometimes the bowstring was twisted to make it stronger. Asn, mahogany, and yew were all used for bows. Sometimes the wood was backed with sinew to make the bow stronger and stop it breaking.
The arrow was a thin shaft of wood, sharpened at one end, with feathers attached to the other to give it aerodynamic stability. Arrowheads were made from flint or other rocks, antler, or bone.
The bow was the first machine that stored energy. Energy from the archers muscles gradually transferred to the bow as it was drawn back;when the bow was released, it gave e projected arrow a far greater velocity than that produced by a Spear thrower. In about 1500 B.C.E a shorter and lighter bow was developed, the composite bow. Short and curved, it was built up from layers of materials that reacted differently under tension or compression. It was an accurate weapon to use from horseback. Modern bows are made from fiberglass, carbon, and aluminum as well as wood, while the arrows are usually made of composite materials.
SEE ALSO: STONE TOOLS, SPEAR, CARPENTRY, ATLATL, SLING,CROSSBOW, CATAPULT