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When most researchers looked at a puzzling group of artifacts discovered at French archaeological sites, they presumed these to be ornaments or clothing. But Justin Garnett saw something else."They resembled finger loops like those used by some North and South American spearthrowers," said Garnett, a doctoral candidate in anthropology at the University of Kansas.That observation led to his new article, "Exploring the Possible Function of Paleolithic Open Rings as Spearthrower Finger Loops." It examines open-ringed objects discovered in the late 19th century at Le Placard, Petit Cloup Barrat and Cave à Endives. His research hypothesizes that such rings (fabricated from...

Iconographic studies of Teotihuacan murals confirm the extension of the lineage of a ruler of the ancient city of Tikal, Guatemala, already revealed by epigraphists of the Maya area. The aforementioned investigation sums up to interpretations of Stele 31 of Tikal that relate to the dynastic line of Atlatl-Cauac ("Dart-thrower Owl"), possible ruler of Teotihuacan between 374 and 439 AD, and whose son, Yax Nuun Ayiin I, was seignior of Tikal. The emblem of this lineage would be represented by the image of a bird with a shield, observed in Teotihuacan murals, declared Dr. Raul Garcia Chavez, researcher at the...

When it comes to deer hunting, Pennsylvania Game Commission officials prefer the atlatl to remain part of ancient history. That's the position agency staffers are taking with a proposal that would allow hunters to pursue whitetails with atlatls, prehistoric weapons that use a wooden frame to propel 6-foot-long darts at speeds up to 80 mph. Atlatl use dates back more than 8,000 years in Pennsylvania and far longer elsewhere in North America and Europe. The name, usually pronounced AT-lad-ul, is derived from an Aztec word for ''throwing board.'' For years, atlatl hunters in Pennsylvania have had to hone their skills...

About 3,000 years ago, a group of hunters perched on a ridge near what is now New Haven Harbor in Connecticut and fashioned quartz into projectile points. The points were likely intended to form the lethal end of an atlatl, or spear-thrower, dart. A skillful stalker could wield the weapon, which predated the bow and arrow, with enough force and accuracy to send a dart into a deer, turkey, or other small prey. Those ancient hunter-gatherers have since vanished, but the quartz artifacts survive on the ridge, known as West Rock. Michael J. Rogers, associate professor of anthropology at Southern...

An ancient weapon that was apparently used as early as prehistoric times to slay woolly mammoths may soon be added to the arsenals of Pennsylvania hunters. The state Game Commission is drafting proposed regulations to allow hunters to use the atlatl, a small wooden device that propels a 6-foot (nearly 2-meter) dart as fast as 80 mph (130 kph). The commission could vote in January and make a final decision in April, officials said. It was not yet clear which animals would be hunted, but the proposal has the support of people who want to kill deer with the handmade...

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN-- Long before guns gave European explorers a decisive advantage over indigenous peoples, our ancestors had their own technological innovation that allowed them to dominate the Stone Age competition: the projectile point, launched from bows or spear throwers. Paleolithic hunters shooting spears or arrows tipped with these small stone points could stay at a safe distance while hunting a wide assortment of prey--or other humans, says archaeologist John Shea of Stony Brook University in New York. Projectile launchers might even be the key to modern humans' triumph when they entered the Neandertal territory of Europe about 40,000 years ago,...