atlatl

Image showing how the ring-shaped artifacts would have been used as spear-thrower grips, using one or two loops. Source: Justin Garnett & Frederic Sellet / University of Kansas

26 May, 2023 - 14:52 Nathan Falde

20,000-year-old Rings Cleverly Deduced to be Prehistoric Spear-thrower Grips

Archaeologists digging at certain sites in France have unearthed some curious ring-shaped artifacts over the years that seemed to have no clear purpose. Dating back to the Upper Paleolithic period (...

Prehistoric hunter with his weapon. Source: Daniel Eskridge / Adobe Stock.

15 May, 2023 - 16:59 Robbie Mitchell

Mastering the Atlatl: The Ultimate Prehistoric Hunting Tool (Video)

Have you ever heard of the atlatl ? It's a prehistoric hunting tool that has been used for thousands of years, predating the bow and arrow . It consists of a long stick, usually made from wood or...

17 June, 2021 - 23:04 Cecilia Bogaard

6,000-Year-Old Yukon Throwing Dart Was Made Using Beaver Secretion

Scientists from the Canadian Conservation Institute have discovered the earliest evidence of the use of castoreum in the making of weapons. The castoreum, a product sourced from the anal castor sacs...

Artifact recovered from the Williams Lake area and believed to be an arrowhead from the early Nesikep period. Source: Sugar Cane Archeology

8 June, 2020 - 22:42 ashley cowie

6,000-year-old ‘Arrowhead’ Found in British Columbia

An ancient pointed chert stone dating to the early Nesikep period is believed to be the oldest arrowhead ever recovered in the Williams Lake area. But is this interpretation accurate? Lake Williams...

Native American parents crafted mini weapons to teach their children vital life skills. Source: mmilliman /Adobe Stock

10 December, 2019 - 17:17 Alicia McDermott

Mini Weapons Taught Children Survival Skills in Oregon

Researchers believe that some weapons found at the Par-Tee site in Oregon, USA were purposely made for little hands to train children and youth life skills. These weapons for children were carefully...

Point of a throwing spear used by an indigenous hunter 1,000 years ago. It was discovered in a Yukon ice patch.

5 September, 2018 - 22:53 Alicia McDermott

Archaeologists in the Yukon find a Remarkably Intact Dart Lost by an Indigenous Hunter 1,000 Years Ago

Local belief says that the Yukon ice patches have been a preferred caribou hunting ground for the ancestors of Carcross/Tagish First Nation Citizens for at least 9000 years. Just recently, an...

A bannerstone, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (CC0) Background: Rocks and water. (CC0)

27 July, 2018 - 18:55 dhwty

Boggling Bannerstones of Ancient Americans: Were They a Function of Flight or More a Flight of Fancy?

A bannerstone is an enigmatic Native American artifact found in the eastern United States. They come in a range of shapes and sizes and are made of various types of stone. These stones have been...