On today’s history menu we have a special duo-treat: art, as well as a revised theory about women hunters in early human cultures. And both stories are bound in the spear-throwing devices known as “atlatls”.
An atlatl (the name is in the Aztec language Nahuatl because the Spanish saw the Aztecs using it, but atlatls were used around the world and not just in the Americas) is a device used to increase the speed and force of a javelin or spear, using lever technology. The hunter would attach a dart or whatever they wanted to throw on one end of the atlatl, and would fling it forward as though pitching a baseball overhand. They would use their free hand to point at the target as a way of sighting their line, and let go of the spear at the last moment. Atlatls make objects go fast — one study cited a 5ft spear using a 1ft atlatl moves about 60 miles an hour.
These objects were used at least 17,000 years ago — because they were made of organic materials, the evidence for an earlier date may well be lost. The example shown here is of such exceptional artistry that archaeologists theorize it was used for ceremonial purposes. Known as “le faon aux ouseau” (“Fawn with Birds”), it was found in a cave in modern France at the site of La Mas d’Azil and dates to between 15,300-13,000 years ago. Scholars don’t think the carved reindeer bone atlatl depicts a fawn, but another animal, perhaps an ibex.
But wait there’s more — a new study published in _Scientific Reports_ by archaeologist Michelle Bebber from Kent State University argues that the atlatl might have operated as an equalizer for men and women hunters, giving an advantage by enabling women with less upper body strength than men to be able to throw spears with similar aptitudes. In the study, 108 students unfamiliar with atlatl technology practiced throwing with it for a total of 2,160 times. The results showed women and men were equally successful at launching their targets.
Bebber’s study adds to the increasing evidence that women as well as men hunted regularly in early human civilizations.
Sources:Michelle R. Bebber etc al, “Atlatl use equalizes female and male projectile weapon accuracy,” _Scientific Reports_ (2003). Reported in Phys.org, “Atlatl use by prehistoric females equalized the division of labor while hunting, experimental study shows,” by Kent State University, Aug 18, 2023. @ ThoughtCo “The atlatl: 17,000 year old hunting technology,” by K Kris Hurst, updated May 30, 2019
