KENT, OHIO—According to a Phys.org report, Kent State University archaeologist Michelle Bebber and her colleagues conducted an experimental study on the use of atlatls, a type of spear-thrower, to test how the introduction of the weapon may have made a diverse range of people more adept at hunting. The atlatl was introduced some tens of thousands of years ago in cultures around the world, replacing the simple thrown javelin. Bebber’s team measured the velocity at which 108 novice users of both sexes could hurl a javelin and throw spears using an atlatl. They found that female subjects could use atlatls to launch spears with the same velocity and just as far as their male counterparts. “Since the atlatl functions as a simple lever, it reduces the advantage of male's generally greater muscle strength," said Bebber. "Given that females appear to benefit the most from atlatl use, it is certainly within the realm of possibility that in some contexts females invented the atlatl." Read the original scholarly article about this research in Scientific Reports. To read more about atlatls, go to “Set in Stone.”
