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2023, In The Engine's Sights: Testing Reconstructed Roman Ballistae
This article on testing Ancient catapults of different periods and of an onager as a part of the experimental performance Archaeology and History of the Institute of Ancient History of the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg.
Recent summaries and overviews of the development of ancient catapults have mistaken working hypotheses for established fact. Key areas of misunderstanding include the invention of the catapult, the development of the torsion principle, the meaning of the terms euthytone and palintone, and the possible use of sling bullets as catapult missiles. A critical reexamination of these hypotheses, setting them within the framework of the known facts, reveals the fragility of the accepted history of the catapult, as currently presented in general handbooks.
The papers collected in this volume are dedicated to different case studies, focusing on the archaeological and cultural contexts of ancient weapons, their practical and symbolic use, and the complexity of their technological features. Ergonomic design, the finest selection of materials, and high-developed technological background: pre-, protohistoric and classical weapons have always been some of the most appreciated items by warfare specialists all over the world. Modern archaeology goes beyond the interest in the exterior appearance of ancient weapons and considers the single objects as starting points to explore new research avenues. Far from being objects for amateurs and collectors, ancient weapons become protagonists in historical and scientific reconstructions, with a huge potential as sources of knowledge.
Recreating artefacts and ancient skills: from experiment to interpretation
An introduction to the experimental study of prehistoric projectile points2022 •
The experimental study of prehistoric projectile points has been an active field of research over the last forty years. This contribution is an introduction to the discipline and presents an overview of its main issues, methods and results. Experimental protocols are routinely designed to address a particular archaeological question. This normally involves the reconstitution of a prehistoric delivery system, which can be done either in "replicative" or "controlled" conditions, both approaches presenting advantages and drawbacks. The main goals of projectile experiments are fourfold: determining whether certain artefacts are projectile weapons based on the identification of diagnostic traces of projectile impact; reconstructing their hafting arrangement, identifying the propulsion system, with a special emphasis on the appearance of the spear-thrower and bow; and assessing the performance of different types of weapon tips in terms of efficiency, solidity and maintenance. Future projectile research should include increased feedback between "replicative" and "controlled" experiments and more frequent meta-analyses, both of which require more standardised data collection and publication.
This bibliography was originally compiled mostly from Knecht (1997) and Dockall (1997) and has been more or less regularly updated since the early 2000s. As of August 2023 it includes 173 references of articles, books and university works (MA and PhDs). References are classified according to geographic area (Europe, Near East, Africa, America, Asia), period, type of points studied (lithic or osseous) when relevant, and are then listed alphabetically. Only references dealing with the experimental study of the function of projectile points and providing primary experimental results have been listed here. Thus, this list does not include experimental studies of projectile impacts on bones, or of the use parameters of the spearthrower and the bow (bow and spearthrower mechanics, techniques of use, effective range, etc). Traceological and functional analyses of projectile points without first-hand experimental approach, as well as methodological papers, and analyses of previously published experimental material and results, were also not included in this list.
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2020 •
Newcastle University researchers are bringing the past to life with an experiment to find out how people fought in the Late Bronze Age (c.1200-800 BC). The project investigates ancient combat techniques by examining the wear marks found on archaeological swords, spears and axes from museum collections, and trying to replicate these marks in a series of controlled field tests with replicas of the same weapons. The aim of the project is to understand how Late Bronze Age weapons were used, in what kind of combat situations, and with what weapon strikes and body motions. The team want to test in particular whether it is possible to link distinctive combat marks with specific uses of the weapons including strikes, parries, stabs and throws.
Acta Archaeologica Carpathica
Little tools or little weapons? Testing the use of Aurignacian and Epigravettian bladelets as projectile implementsThe morphology and use-wear of lithic implements used as projectile points have been a special topic of prehistoric research for many decades. The present study focuses on a particular category of artifacts from two chronologically distant cultural contexts — the Aurignacian and the Epigravettian. Retouched and unretouched bladelets recovered from three Romanian sites recently excavated are examined in order to asses the possibility of their past use as projectile implements. Two methodological lines of inquiry were followed: the recognition of macroscopic impact-related fractures and the designation of metrical attributes concerning tip cross-sectional area values. Both sets of data were compared with similar considerations issued from previously published comparable collections. Although lacking direct experimental support, the conclusions point towards the possibility of using laterally retouched Aurignacian and Epigravettian bladelets as either distally or laterally inserted projectile implements. A possibly early use of bow and arrow, as part of multiple weapons systems typical of Upper Paleolithic hunting technology, is also discussed.
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