Anyone here have any experience with atlatls? They were invented approximately 40,000 years ago, and are the link in the chain from spear to bow and arrow with atlatl filling in the longest time span.
Modern atlatls are quite state of the art. I have competed at the national level at Atlatl Rock, Valley of Fire State Park, NV. My son won first in the juvenile class one year.
Interesting stuff. Anyone ever done them?
Steve
visit my blog at
Fascinating stuff, Steve.
There was a TV program on TLC or The Military Channel about Atlatls. What possessed the first guy to do that? Way cool simple thing!
Gunner Raises his hand.....
One could not be a successful Leftwinger without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of Leftwingers, a goodly number of Leftwingers are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid. Gunner Asch
One could not be a successful Leftwinger without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of Leftwingers, a goodly number of Leftwingers are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid. Gunner Asch
It probably took a few thousand years for some guy to be puttering around with a spear and Stuff..and have a Eureka! moment..then another thousand years for the word to get around.
Think one tribe wouldnt kick the next tribes ass with one?
Gunner
One could not be a successful Leftwinger without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of Leftwingers, a goodly number of Leftwingers are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid. Gunner Asch
Too bad they didn't kill-off certain genes.
Leftwingers are genetic mutants.
Some of their parents were actually nice people. Then the wars came, war gases, then nukes..then Agent Orange and whatnot. They were genetically intolerant to such things..poor genes..and the genes went bugnuts and produced Leftwingers.
Shrug...sad..but then so is a brainless mindless shit eating vicious dog. And we put dogs down for less mental and genetic damage.
Gunner
One could not be a successful Leftwinger without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of Leftwingers, a goodly number of Leftwingers are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid. Gunner Asch
When cave men would chase a large animal into a corner or into a bog, they would have to run up and stab it. They could get actually very little penetration power from a thrown spear. Well, when they got close enough to stab the animal, they would also be close enough for the animal to grab them. The atlatls would allow them to stay back, and the force of the blow from the dart is estimated IIRC about seven times that of a thrown spear. Then some genius came up with one foot pieces that went in the end of the five foot spear, that would pop off when it went into the animal, letting them essentially reload another tip, and put multiple tips into the animal. What possessed the first guy to do it was either watching his buddies get killed by getting too close, or a close call for himself. Pieces of heads have been found in mastodon skeletons, and there is a theory that the reason for mastodon extinction was the atlatl. They became more proficient hunters.
Steve
visit my blog at
The TV program that dealt with Atlatls was "Weapon Masters". They did quite a fair job talking about the history and what could be done with newer technology (arrow shafts for the projectile).
A pretty neat show in general.
_kevin
FWIW there's an atlatl association of some kind out there; their motto is "Too long have I hunted mammoth alone". Dunno where I picked up that bit of trivia tho; sounds like a fun bunch!
"Buerste" on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 05:50:04 -0400 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:
They did. Be glad.
pyotr
>Gunner Asch on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 01:41:03 -0700 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:
Interesting article in current issue of Make Magazine. Guy sets out to make a "stone age" telegraph key. From scratch - making his own scratch. First - invent the basket. Then invent fire. (He cheated - didn't invent the 'string' to use in his bow drill.) Then came the fun part of inventing smelting. (Verb Sap: wooden chimneys on a fire that hot is ... spectacular). But he eventually got the metal he needed to make a telegraph key. In about six weeks of applied R&D. Now all he needed was to make wire and a receiver.... So, yeah, it was possible to have a telegraph in oh dark BC (Before the dawn of time) but ... "retro inventing" the technology is a long way from originating.
Oh, yes. Or make a few alliances, to settle things down.
Which is one of the contentions of the author of _Whatever happened to the Neanderthal_. One of his speculations is that with the bigger brain came "society" - and the construction of the rules there of. Add in the human female's receptiveness and bonding ... Tribe A makes an alliance with Tribe B, complete with an exchange of women, some spear making technology, a few exotic 'gifts' (seashells inland, that sort of thing) and next thing you know, city states are linked by marriage, language and culture, and the spread of monarchies, and wars of succession, Parliaments, and history. Yep, history is mostly one massive dysfunctional family argument, with armies.
pyotr
Balzac is suppose to have said when rolling off his mistress, spent "There goes another novel."
"Steve B" on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 06:21:25
-0700 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:
There's two guys in history who's names we really never know: Crazy Eddie and Charlie.
"Crazy Eddie" - he's the guy (we all know one) who is always got A Bright Idea. Most of them don't work out well, but occasionally, he comes up with a winner. Oysters. Beer. Pickles. Detachable points to an atlatls spear. PCs. "Charlie" is the early adopter, who tries Crazy Eddie's ideas and see that "this isn't a bad idea."
Proficient, or "efficient"? Hey, what ever puts food on the 'table'.
pyotr
AND, the good thing, Gunner. They can be made by hand from available materials should the great event happen, and you don't need a license to own or carry one. Of course, that could change. ;-) The ones of us who know how to make them will be called "Your Majesty", and we'll get all the women.
Steve
visit my blog at
May be the World Atlatl Association.
Steve
visit my blog at
Check this site out:
I have an atlatl and darts made by Wade Bryan, former world record holder of a bit over 700', and I understand it is about 850' now. Saw him throw a couple of times. WOW! My best was 330 feet.
Comes with Easton aluminum shafts that are two shafts joined by a short inner sleeve. About six feet.
I showed my BIL who has been big game hunting all over the world. I threw one for him, telling him how to do it. He stepped up, and on his first throw ever, beat my throw.
Some cool stuff. My wife wants me to go back to giving demonstrations and possibly writing articles. I used to train Cub and Boy Scouts, and give demonstrations at Scoutaramas.
Two shoulder surgeries and heart surgery later, I decided to sell them because I couldn't throw them any more. When I sold them, I put them on ebay for $100 for six atlatls and about thirty darts BIN. They were just plain wood atlatls and fiberglass darts. Some needed vanes. Three minutes later, a guy did a buy-it-now. He called on the phone, and was ecstatic. He was a fish and game agent in Arizona who had been looking for some to give classes to hunter safety and outdoor groups, and to give lessons. I sold them too cheap, but they went on to teach others, and didn't get stuck in someone's closet, then thrown away when they died. So, I didn't feel so bad about the price.
Steve
visit my blog at
This is the only instance I know of in modern history in which a diffuse and relatively peaceful agrarian society coalesced (in only three years) into an all-conquering military empire:
Some ancient cities seem to have popped up quickly based on a central plan rather than evolving randomly from older settlements. Perhaps a charismatic leader recruited an army from the second, third etc sons of farmers, young men who wouldn't inherit the family land once it had been subdivided too finely.
jsw Typed on a roll-up rubber keyboard that workspretty well except for the space bar.
Only if you have a lifetime stock of toilet paper and tampons... :)
Not all of them. The radically defective recessive gene that cause the mental illness as typlified by Leftwingers was allowed to pass on......
One could not be a successful Leftwinger without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of Leftwingers, a goodly number of Leftwingers are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid. Gunner Asch
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