Multidisciplinary Approaches to the Study of Stone Age Weaponry (Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology)

The objective of this volume is to showcase the contemporary state of research on recognizing and evaluating the performance of stone age weapons from a variety of viewpoints, including investigating their cognitive and evolutionary significance. New archaeological finds and experimental studies have helped to bring this subject back to the forefront of human origins research. In the last few years, investigations have expanded beyond examining the tools themselves to include studies of damage caused by projectile weapons on animal and hominin bones and skeletal asymmetries in ancient hominin populations. Only recently has there been a growing interest in controlled and replicative experiments. Through this book readers will be updated in the state of knowledge through a multidisciplinary scientific reconstruction of prehistoric weapon use and its implications. Contributions from expert authors are organized into three themed parts: recognizing weapon use (experimental and archaeological studies of impact traces), performance of weapon systems (factors influencing penetration depth etc.), and behavioral and evolutionary ramifications (cognitive and ecological effects of using different weapons). Part I. Recognizing Weapons : Experimental Approaches. 1. When Is A Point A Projectile? : Morphology, Impact Fractures, Scientific Rigor, And The Limits Of Inference / Wallace Karl Hutchings ; 2. Identifying Weapon Delivery Systems Using Macrofracture Analysis And Fracture Propagation Velocity : A Controlled Experiment / Radu Iovita, Holger Schönekeß, Sabine Gaudzinski-windheuser And Frank Jäger ; 3. Experiments In Fracture Patterns And Impact Velocity With Replica Hunting Weapons From Japan / Katsuhiro Sano, Yoshitaka Denda And Masayoshi Oba ; 4. Thirty Years Of Experimental Research On The Breakage Patterns Of Stone Age Osseous Points. Overview, Methodological Problems And Current Perspectives / Jean-marc Pétillon, Hugues Plisson And Pierre Cattelain ; 5. Levers, Not Springs : How A Spearthrower Works And Why It Matters / John C. Whittaker --^ Part Ii. Recognizing Weapons : Archaeological Applications. 6. Hunting Lesions In Pleistocene And Early Holocene European Bone Assemblages And Their Implications For Our Knowledge On The Use And Timing Of Lithic Projectile Technology / Sabine Gaudzinski-windheuser ; 7. Edge Damage On 500-thousand-year-old Spear Tips From Kathu Pan 1, South Africa : The Combined Effects Of Spear Use And Taphonomic Processes / Jayne Wilkins And Benjamin J. Schoville ; 8. Projectile Damage And Point Morphometry At The Early Middle Paleolithic Misliya Cave, Mount Carmel (israel) : Preliminary Results And Interpretations / Alla Yaroshevich, Yossi Zaidner And Mina Weinstein-evron ; 9. Morpho-metric Variability Of Early Gravettian Tanged Font-robert Points, And Functional Implications / Annemieke Milks, Rob Dinnis And Matthew Pope ; 10.^ Early Gravettian Projectile Technology In Southwestern Iberian Peninsula : The Double Backed And Bipointed Bladelets Of Vale Boi (portugal) / João Marreiros, Nuno Bicho, Juan Gibaja, João Cascalheira And Telmo Pereira ; 11. Uncertain Evidence For Weapons And Craft Tools : Functional Investigations Of Australian Microliths / Richard Fullagar ; 12. Projectiles And Hafting Technology / Veerle Rots -- Part Iii. Measures Of Weapon Performance. 13. Testing Archaeological Approaches To Determining Past Projectile Delivery Systems Using Ethnographic And Experimental Data / C. Clarkson ; 14. Penetration, Tissue Damage, And Lethality Of Wood- Versus Lithic-tipped Projectiles / Paul E. Salem And Steven E. Churchill ; 15. Experimental And Archeological Observations Of Northern Iberian Peninsula Middle Paleolithic Mousterian Point Assemblages. Testing The Potential Use Of Throwing Spears Among Neanderthals / Joseba Rios-garaizar --^ Part Iv. Weapons As Curated Technologies. 16. More To The Point : Developing A Multi-faceted Approach To Investigating The Curation Of Magdalenian Osseous Projectile Points / Michelle C. Langley ; 17. Survivorship Distributions In Experimental Spear Points : Implications For Tool Design And Assemblage Formation / Michael J. Shott -- Part V. Weapons As Cultural And Cognitive Markers. 18. Morphological Diversification Of Stemmed Projectile Points Of Patagonia (southernmost South America). Assessing Spatial Patterns By Means Of Phylogenies And Comparative Methods / Marcelo Cardillo And Judith Charlin ; 19. Hunting Technologies During The Howiesons Poort At Sibudu Cave : What They Reveal About Human Cognition In Kwazulu-natal, South Africa, Between ~65 And 62 Ka / Marlize Lombard And Lyn Wadley -- Part Vi. Conclusions. 20. Summary And Conclusions / Radu Iovita And Katsuhiro Sano. Edited By Radu Iovita (monrepos Archaeological Research Centre, Museum For Human Behavioural Evolution, Römisch-germanisches Zentralmuseum (rgzm), Leibniz-forschungsinstitut Für Archäologie, Neuwied, Germany), Katsuhiro Sano (the University Museum, The University Of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan). Volume Based In Part On A Workshop Of The Same Name Organized By The Editors And Held At University Of Mainz, Germany, In September 2011. (preface) Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Front Matter....Pages i-xvii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 When Is a Point a Projectile? Morphology, Impact Fractures, Scientific Rigor, and the Limits of Inference....Pages 3-12 Identifying Weapon Delivery Systems Using Macrofracture Analysis and Fracture Propagation Velocity: A Controlled Experiment....Pages 13-27 Experiments in Fracture Patterns and Impact Velocity with Replica Hunting Weapons from Japan....Pages 29-46 Thirty Years of Experimental Research on the Breakage Patterns of Stone Age Osseous Points. Overview, Methodological Problems and Current Perspectives....Pages 47-63 Levers, Not Springs: How a Spearthrower Works and Why It Matters....Pages 65-74 Front Matter....Pages 75-75 Hunting Lesions in Pleistocene and Early Holocene European Bone Assemblages and Their Implications for Our Knowledge on the Use and Timing of Lithic Projectile Technology....Pages 77-100 Edge Damage on 500-Thousand-Year-Old Spear Tips from Kathu Pan 1, South Africa: The Combined Effects of Spear Use and Taphonomic Processes....Pages 101-117 Projectile Damage and Point Morphometry at the Early Middle Paleolithic Misliya Cave, Mount Carmel (Israel): Preliminary Results and Interpretations....Pages 119-134 Morpho-Metric Variability of Early Gravettian Tanged “Font-Robert” Points, and Functional Implications....Pages 135-146 Early Gravettian Projectile Technology in Southwestern Iberian Peninsula: The Double Backed and Bipointed Bladelets of Vale Boi (Portugal)....Pages 147-158 Uncertain Evidence for Weapons and Craft Tools: Functional Investigations of Australian Microliths....Pages 159-166 Projectiles and Hafting Technology....Pages 167-185 Front Matter....Pages 187-187 Testing Archaeological Approaches to Determining Past Projectile Delivery Systems Using Ethnographic and Experimental Data....Pages 189-201 Penetration, Tissue Damage, and Lethality of Wood- Versus Lithic-Tipped Projectiles....Pages 203-212 Experimental and Archeological Observations of Northern Iberian Peninsula Middle Paleolithic Mousterian Point Assemblages. Testing the Potential Use of Throwing Spears Among Neanderthals....Pages 213-225 Front Matter....Pages 227-227 More to the Point: Developing a Multi-faceted Approach to Investigating the Curation of Magdalenian Osseous Projectile Points....Pages 229-244 Survivorship Distributions in Experimental Spear Points: Implications for Tool Design and Assemblage Formation....Pages 245-258 Front Matter....Pages 259-259 Morphological Diversification of Stemmed Projectile Points of Patagonia (Southernmost South America). Assessing Spatial Patterns by Means of Phylogenies and Comparative Methods....Pages 261-272 Hunting Technologies During the Howiesons Poort at Sibudu Cave: What They Reveal About Human Cognition in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Between ~65 and 62 ka....Pages 273-286 Front Matter....Pages 287-287 Summary and Conclusions....Pages 289-297 Back Matter....Pages 299-303