Atlatl

Projectile weapons affected the human evolutionary trajectory and propelled social and subsistence changes throughout our history. Archaeologists interested in such relationships must overcome two obstacles: How to recognize ancient weapons from fragmentary remains, and the difficulty of understanding their capabilities through experiments.
The history of change in weapon systems shows a shift from relatively slow, heavy projectiles propelled by human strength to lighter, faster, mechanically propelled projectiles, which resulted in various effects on social institutions, subsistence, and evolutionary developments. Thrusting spears, hand-thrown javelins, and atlatls are all cited by various researchers as the weaponry used by Paleo hunters to bring down Pleistocene megafauna. A change from thrusting spears and javelins to effective atlatl-propelled projectiles would have made hunting large game substantially safer and increased the number of people in a group who could have participated. The subsequent replacement of atlatls by bows is another issue of wide debate. However, the dynamics of change in these complex systems are frequently debated and before we can compare prehistoric weapons in any meaningful way, we need accurate measurements of performance characteristics.
Velocity is one important measure of projectile effect, directly influencing momentum and kinetic energy and thus the damage a projectile can do to its target, but accurate measurements of atlatl dart velocity are rarely reported. Atlatl dart velocity must be measured with naturalistic experiments involving human throwers, and while the problem of assessing discrepancies between the skill and strength of past and modern throwers cannot be fully circumvented, it is addressed here by measuring numerous well-practiced individuals using a variety of atlatl equipment, and comparing the results. We present several different series of experiments with radar gun, film, and chronograph to measure dart velocities. The atlatls used in hunting and warfare probably did not accelerate darts much beyond 35m/s (78 mph). This information is briefly applied to two issues: 1.We discuss Hutchings’ use of fracture velocity measurements on stone points to distinguish Paleoindian projectile systems, which seems promising but needs better experimental support. 2. Using velocity and mass we can calculate kinetic energy and momentum of various projectiles as measures of weapon effect, and consider, for an example, Southwestern atlatls and bows.

Changes in technology can have transformative effects upon ancient economies. Commonly, the advan- tages of technology are highlighted in the past, with diagnostic markers of tool types, serving as the important signatures in regional culture histories. While technological changes generally do improve effi- ciency or provide other benefits, new technologies also bring new additional costs, presenting what Neil Postman calls a ‘‘Faustian bargain.’’ In this essay, we consider such costs in the transition from atlatl and dart technologies to the bow and arrow for the precontact Coast Salish economy, focusing on consequent organizational changes in hunting strategies. We maintain that technologies also can be indicators of broader socioeconomic changes in labor organization. We analyze shifting patterns of hunting emphasis through faunal assemblages in relation to changes in tool technologies. We postulate that the transition to the bow and arrow brought benefits in increased efficiency for individual hunters, but at a cost for col- lective hunting teams based on atlatl and dart technologies that were headed by elites. In so doing, with the bow and arrow, individual hunters exerted greater economic autonomy and this is marked in the fau- nal archaeological record of the Coast Salish area.

Beveled retouch on stone projectile points has often been considered as a device to spin and stabilize a projectile. A recent paper showed that a beveled point will spin a small shaft under tightly controlled laboratory conditions. However, this experiment has little relevance for real projectiles such as atlatl darts, which flex dramatically and spin unevenly in flight, quite independent of point form. The spinning is related to the flexibility of the dart, which is necessary for spearthrower function. A beveled point cannot spin a dart in the air, but is likely to cause some rotation when encountering a solid target like flesh. Beveled points are probably not related to spinning either darts or arrows in flight and present a good example of why we need to have both theoretical understanding and experimental observations of details of projectile behavior before
interpreting artifacts. Spinning in a carcass could make beveled points more lethal, but the suggestion that beveling mostly results from sharpening and other modification of stone points remains the best explanation.
El retoque biselado en las puntas de piedra arrojadizas con frecuencia ha sido considerado como estrategia para hacer girar y estabilizar un proyectil. Un estudio recién mostró que una punta biselada hará girar una asta pequeña bajo condiciones extremadamente controladas en el laboratorio. Sin embargo, este experimento tiene poca relevancia en cuanto los proyectiles auténticas como los dardos del atlatl (estolica), que se flexionan dramáticamente y giran erráticamente en vuelo, no importa la forma de la punta. La rotación se relaciona con la flexibilidad del dardo, la cual es necesaria para la buena función del atlatl. Una punta biselada no puede hacer girar un dardo en el aire, pero probablemente va a causar algo de rotación cuando
encuentra un blanco sólido como la carne. Las puntas biseladas probablemente no se relacionan con la rotación de dardos ni flechas en vuelo, y presentan un buen ejemplo de la necesidad de tener ambos el conocimiento teórico y observaciones experimentales de los detalles del funcionamiento de los proyectiles antes de interpretar los artefactos. La rotación en una carcasa podría hacer más letales las puntas biseladas, pero la sugerencia que el biselado resulta principalmente del afilamiento y
otras modificaciones de las puntas de piedra permanece la mejor explicación.

Grund (2017) suggests that atlatls are easier to learn and use than bows, and thus allow more members of a population to use them. Atlatls are seen as " exacerbating " social differentiation, while bows are  "equalizing." No one familiar with both weapons would agree that atlatls are easier to use than bows, and neither her data from modern competition scores nor ethnographic information supports the suggestion . In fact, other data shows the opposite, and her social conclusions must be rejected.

The adoption of bow-and-arrow technology by Recent Indian peoples on the island of Newfoundland has been accepted on the basis of untested observations of the archaeological record. This study investigates the period circa 1000 BP, when the replacement of the Beaches complex by the Little Passage complex is purported to be marked by the introduction of bow-and-arrow technology. Metric analysis of 840 projectile points confirms this technological transformation, but disputes the notion that projectile point function can be linked to current complex signatures—notably, the presence of side-notching or corner-notching on projectile points. This analysis suggests that bows-and-arrows did not immediately replace spear throwers-and-darts, but rather, were complementary to the Recent Indian tool kit. Finally, we suggest that the adoption of bow-and-arrow technology may be linked to the departure or demise of (Middle) Dorset Palaeoeskimo populations on the island.

Precolumbian archaeologists traditionally focus on periods of stability rather than change when constructing regional cultural chronologies. However, the advent of large databases of radiocarbon dates and the proliferation of open-source software environments such as R now allow archaeologists to understand technological transitions with greater chronological precision than has been historically possible. In this study, we employ Monte Carlo procedures, Bayes' Theorem, the R package Bchron, and IntCal13 to address three chronological topics. We calculate the minimum number of dates required on atlatl and bow technologies to robustly date this late Holocene transition in Subarctic northwestern Canada, analyze previously published dates on organic projectile diagnostics to determine whether bows and atlatls overlapped for an observable amount of time, and estimate the years of calendric time that they overlapped. Results indicate that minimum sample sizes of 29 atlatl and 19 bow dates are required to characterize this particular transition in our study area. Actual radiocarbon dates show that bow and atlatl technologies temporally co-occurred within this region for 174 ± 135 (1σ) actual calendar years. Quantitative analyses such as these open the door to testing hypotheses that explain why and how technological transitions occur within and between (pre)historic groups.

Tradicionalmente, la arqueología Pre-Colombina se ha focalizado en los periodos de estabilidad más que en los cambios al momento de construir cronologías culturales regionales. Sin embargo, el advenimiento de amplias bases de datos de fechados radiocarbónicos y la proliferación de software ambientales de código abierto tales como el R permite a los arqueólogos reconocer las transiciones tecnológicas con un mayor grado de precisión cronológica de lo que fue históricamente posible. En este estudio empleamos el procedimiento Monte Carlo, el Teorema de Bayes, el paquete R Bchron y las curvas de calibración de IntCal13 para abordar tres temas cronológicos. Calculamos el número mínimo de dataciones que son requeridas para las tecnologías de propulsión y arco que permitan datar robustamente su transición en el noroeste subártico de Canadá, analizamos dataciones previamente publicadas para arcos y propulsores diagnósticos con el fin de determinar si las dos tecnologías de proyectil se superponían por una cantidad observable de tiempo en la prehistoria y estimamos los años calendáricos que ambas tecnologías se superponían. Los resultados indican que un tamaño mínimo de muestra de 29 dataciones sobre propulsores y 19 sobre arcos es requerido para caracterizar esta transición cultural en nuestra área de estudio. Las dataciones radiocarbónicas reales muestran que las tecnologías de arco y propulsión co-ocurrieron temporalmente dentro de la región por 174 +/-135 (1σ) años calendáricos reales. Estos análisis cuantitativos abren la puerta al testeo de hipótesis que expliquen por qué y cómo las transiciones tecnológicas se producen dentro y entre grupos (pre) históricos.