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Throwing Spears (Read 8209 times)

Rico Novicius Offline I love YaBB 1G - SP1! Posts: 9	Throwing Spears Feb 7^th, 2004 at 6:21pm A while ago, I remember seeing a spear, with a 3 foot long notched "handle" that was used to add distance and velocity to the spear. Does anyone have any info on what these are called and how to build one? Thanks much!
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Chris Slinging.org Administrator Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 1284 USA Gender:	Re: Throwing Spears Reply #1 - Feb 8^th, 2004 at 4:45pm If the notching was at the end of the spear, it might be an atlatl. Loads of information on line about that. This forum category even has some. Chris
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english Ex Member	Re: Throwing Spears Reply #2 - Feb 8^th, 2004 at 5:55pm Yeah, that certainly sounds like an atlatl. Go to www.atlatl.com for more info, or to order atlatl, even though they are simple to make and use.
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magnumslinger

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Re: Throwing Spears
Reply #3 - Feb 13^th, 2004 at 5:56am

Dear Rico,

There was also a great example of a Paleo-Mississippian Indian culture atlatyl at Chucalissa Archaelogical museum (run by Memphis State University, I believe, but I haven't been there in a few years) on display at their museum, as well as a diaramic depiction of these things being used on a Mastodon, or Mammoth-looking creature by what looked like some extras from "Clan of the Cave Bear" Wink

. It showed a LOT of spears in the poor animal, but it was clear that that elephant was GOING DOWN!, one way or the other! Must have taken A GALLON of frog poison Shocked

! I really loved it as a kid, when my parents used to take me there during summer breaks.

That's where I learned about atlatyls, blowguns and the like at an early age. Also, there used to be a carved stone, shaped like a bank sinker with a wasp-waste tie point at the Arkansass State University museum in Jonesboro, AR labeled as a "Paleo-Indian Bola weight". It was also very interesting to a young kid like me, at the time.

Slinging.org people are progressive preservers of pre-historic protective, pantry-packing, and post-paleolithic parabellum practices...and they're also generally REALLY COOL! Their bootlaces are their arsenal, and the world is their ammo dump!

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Phillip david sutton

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Re: Throwing Spears
Reply #4 - Mar 28^th, 2004 at 4:23am

Hi I'm australian, and would like to add that that spear handle thing sounds exactly like a particular instrument used by australian aboriginal tribes called a woomera. Which is said to be able to at least double the distance acheived normally.

Basically it is just a stick with a wide trough cut down the middle and a hook on the end that is used like a extension of the arm.

I hope that helps

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english

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Re: Throwing Spears
Reply #5 - Mar 28^th, 2004 at 4:38am

A woomera is in fact, just an atlatl, with a different name. The woomera is actually far more useful, because it serves as a stirring pot, firesaw, club, map, and a bunch of other things. It looks nicer too. But it is essentially the same thing, and I was reading an article on woomeras, and some were said to be able to throw spears around 100 metres.

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TLM Tiro Offline Have tried a lot of things Posts: 21 Helsinki, Finland Gender:	Re: Throwing Spears Reply #6 - Apr 7^th, 2004 at 12:59pm The finnish record for length thrown with an atlatl is something like 168 m (thrown at an experimental archeologists' meeting), so I expect the world record to be around 200 m, ofcourse depending on the kind of dart/spear thrown. TLM
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ChuckRocks Senior Member Offline Leverage Artillery Design Engineer Posts: 292 The Florida Outback, USA Gender:	Re: Throwing Spears Reply #7 - Feb 24^th, 2012 at 3:40pm Before I get chewed out (again) for posting on an old thread, let me say that I don't care how old it is. It's new to me. So there! Woomera and Atlatl: same = same. Today, Woomera is the name of Oz's rocket & missile testing sight. That fits. Throwing spears? Can we start with Britney?
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Re: Throwing Spears
Reply #8 - Feb 24^th, 2012 at 5:19pm

ChuckRocks wrote on Feb 24^th, 2012 at 3:40pm:

Before I get chewed out (again) for posting on an old thread, let me say that I don't care how old it is.
It's new to me.
So there! Tongue

Woomera and Atlatl: same = same.
Today, Woomera is the name of Oz's rocket & missile testing sight. That fits.

Throwing spears?
Can we start with Britney?

Another tool is the Amentum, which was used by the Romans. It's a short leather strap near the middle of the spear. It is wrapped around the spear once or twice. When thrown, the strap will unwrap itself and make the spear spin. Simple but effective.

There's no break, there's no end, just a-living on;&&Wide awake, with a smile, going on and on.

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