Most humans did not use the bow as a hunting weapon as it is hard to maintain. They used the atl-atl, a compound leverage weapon with awesome power and good accuracy out from 40 to 100 yards.
Eighty percent of the technology lies in the dart alone, according to Perkins. "The dart is like a long, loose spring," he explained "and when accelerated by the atlatl it compresses and stores energy. That energy is then used to push itself away from the atlatl, enabling the dart to launch smoothly and effectively."
The mass of the stone point, according to Perkins, is a integral part of the mechanics, resisting acceleration, causing the back of the dart to travel faster than the front, thereby compressing it like a spring. To Perkins, the stone point is more essential for the mechanics of the system than it is for tearing through the flesh of the animals it is meant to kill.
The atlatl throwing board consists of a stick about two feet long, with a handgrip at one end and a "spur" at the other end. The spur is a point that fits into a cavity at the back of a four to six foot long dart. The dart is suspended parallel to the board, held by the tips of the fingers at the handgrip. It is then launched through a sweeping arm and wrist motion, similar to a tennis serve. A fine-tuned atlatl can be used to throw a dart 120 to 150 yards, with accuracy at 30 to 40 yards. The atlatl is the tool ancient peoples used to "bring home the bacon", said Perkins.
There is no evidence that Neanderthals made or used heavy wooden clubs. However, there is good evidence that they made spears, and a wide variety of stone tools. Many of these tools were incredibly sharp. Some had a cutting edge sharper than a surgeon's scalpel.
Oog, shown above, owned 287 shares of the early Aurelian Rock Resources, which mined Obsidian arrow heads near La Brae, California. Neandrathals had no concept of buying board lots, thereby always paid higher prices for stock. This no doubt contributed in no small part to their extinction. |
