Hirtius
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Slinging Rocks!
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“Held in a tight hand” doesn’t mean it’s held like that. It just means it’s held tightly. He likely wasn’t meaning to describe any method of holding the sling. But more importantly, the drawing doesn’t depict what you are saying.
As for those artworks and this drawing, they most likely shouldn’t be taken completely at face value. They get the general idea, in that the sling is clearly identifiable as a sling, but the artist might not have been familiar with the actual use. I’m guessing whoever is making art in that period probably isn’t slinging. It also might just be a simple mistake. The place where the sling is gripped (look at the thumb and fingers) in the Corsican sling doesn’t make sense for either the conventional or ice pick grip. Although it might represent some undiscovered way of holding the retention cord, it’s probably just an error. It doesn’t really matter since it doesn’t change what’s being depicted. Just because he’s an academic doesn’t mean he’s an artist, though he does pretty well. But he’s not going to get every detail 100% right. The most interesting thing about this drawing to me is the wrist retention cord. That’s a more deliberate detail.
We are all free to think what we want, but I try to base what I think on the most likely interpretation of the evidence. There is exactly no evidence to support this was an ice pick/reverse grip. Upon close inspection, the drawing doesn’t reflect what you are arguing for. You most likely made a mistake, we all do. I’ve openly doubted certain slinging styles only to have to confront that I was wrong. In this case, no one can prove you wrong, but you’re arguing without any evidence. I have my moments where I go against the grain (see the Australian aboriginal thread), but there’s a little bit more to work with in that case. Good luck with whatever you choose to go with.
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