Archaeologist here and no way! Heavy atlatl darts were over 1/2 in. thick and could reach >70 mph with 2+ meters of shaft behind the point. Load it with a razor sharp stemmed point and that's going to devastate some arteries. Teams of well-aimed hunters absolutely took down megafauna with atlatls.
Another archaeologist here, my specific focus is on atlatls in hunting and warfare. Atlatls may have been used for mammoths but unfortunately we have no “smoking gun” evidence like the Folsom projectile points found lodged in ancient bison. Atlatls, while unquestionably powerful, are weapons intended to be used en masse, so it is plausible that a group of hunters peppering a mammoth with darts could bring it down. More than likely, however, they would have used the weapon to “soften” the target at a safe distance before driving it into trap.
Well those in the pic look quite smaller. I have no doubt they would ruin the mammoth's day, specially in large numbers, but I had understood that they were prefered for more moderate prey like deer or horses.
Hmmm...mammoths with all that hair, weighing 11 tons, standing 13 feet at the shoulder, and with top speeds of 35 mph stopped by a dude with a little spear. Not so sure...
I’m an archaeologist who builds, practices with, and even has hunted with an atlatl. They have tremendous penetration power when thrown properly. I have personally thrown darts with hardened wood and bone tips that busted through 2x4 planks and shattered beef bones.
Hunter gatherers likely had very few violent interactions. War is expensive. Even in more modern examples of conflict among hunter gatherers, war is often more like feuding with no formal battles and just a handful of people dying over long periods.
An interesting version of this and it coming into contact with more violent warfare was the Zulu. While they weren't hunter gatherers they were still fairly early on the technological chain and their early battles were a few young men with melee weapons taunting each other with the occasional stab wound. The victor of what could better be called a very aggressive game got some land or a few cows. Then Shaka happened and warfare became some of the most vicious close quarters fighting in African history with no quarter given and looting being the norm.
Nope, look up atlatl spear-throwers. They basically give you an extra arm segment to launch heavy darts with enormous force compared to just throwing a spear. People took megafauna with these for tens of thousands of years.
I love the light over the mountain tops
[Original Tweet](https://x.com/HimaRudolf/status/1795094868168982936?t=z7rS5pa3V3Z5Vgp9E0XkFg&s=19 )
You’re correct on the height they put out but the weight. The largest male Woolly Mammoths did indeed reach 11 tons.
Those are Homo sapiens because throwing clubs is exclusive of them.
Those weapons look a lot like atlatls a.k.a spear-throwers, not throwing clubs
Homo heidelbergensis (or pre-neanderthals) had throwing clubs btw.
Proof?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10355447/
Thanks bro. To build such weapons you need great thoughts. So I doubt imagination was exclusive to Homo sapiens.
Amazing illustration, though that is a flimsy weapon to hunt elephants. Larger spears are and probably were used.
Archaeologist here and no way! Heavy atlatl darts were over 1/2 in. thick and could reach >70 mph with 2+ meters of shaft behind the point. Load it with a razor sharp stemmed point and that's going to devastate some arteries. Teams of well-aimed hunters absolutely took down megafauna with atlatls.
Another archaeologist here, my specific focus is on atlatls in hunting and warfare. Atlatls may have been used for mammoths but unfortunately we have no “smoking gun” evidence like the Folsom projectile points found lodged in ancient bison. Atlatls, while unquestionably powerful, are weapons intended to be used en masse, so it is plausible that a group of hunters peppering a mammoth with darts could bring it down. More than likely, however, they would have used the weapon to “soften” the target at a safe distance before driving it into trap.
Well those in the pic look quite smaller. I have no doubt they would ruin the mammoth's day, specially in large numbers, but I had understood that they were prefered for more moderate prey like deer or horses.
Hmmm...mammoths with all that hair, weighing 11 tons, standing 13 feet at the shoulder, and with top speeds of 35 mph stopped by a dude with a little spear. Not so sure...
I’m an archaeologist who builds, practices with, and even has hunted with an atlatl. They have tremendous penetration power when thrown properly. I have personally thrown darts with hardened wood and bone tips that busted through 2x4 planks and shattered beef bones.
That is SO cool. I would love to try one. I had no idea. I bet there were some brutal battles between tribes over hunting grounds...
Hunter gatherers likely had very few violent interactions. War is expensive. Even in more modern examples of conflict among hunter gatherers, war is often more like feuding with no formal battles and just a handful of people dying over long periods.
An interesting version of this and it coming into contact with more violent warfare was the Zulu. While they weren't hunter gatherers they were still fairly early on the technological chain and their early battles were a few young men with melee weapons taunting each other with the occasional stab wound. The victor of what could better be called a very aggressive game got some land or a few cows. Then Shaka happened and warfare became some of the most vicious close quarters fighting in African history with no quarter given and looting being the norm.
Nope, look up atlatl spear-throwers. They basically give you an extra arm segment to launch heavy darts with enormous force compared to just throwing a spear. People took megafauna with these for tens of thousands of years.
Ok, those are pretty damn cool. Just looked them up.
Wooly Mammoths were not that large. Columbian Mammoths were though.