Early spears as thrusting weapons: Isolating force and impact velocities in human performance trials

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dc.contributor.authorMilks, Annemieke
dc.contributor.authorChampion, Stephen M.
dc.contributor.authorCowper, Elizabeth
dc.contributor.authorPope, Matt
dc.contributor.authorCarr, Debra J.
dc.date.accessioned2016-10-31T16:59:37Z
dc.date.available2016-10-31T16:59:37Z
dc.date.issued2016-10-01
dc.description.abstractHuman hunting has been a cornerstone of research in human evolutionary studies, and decades worth of research programmes into early weapon systems have improved our understanding of the subsistence behaviours of our genus. Thrusting spears are potentially one of the earliest hunting weapons to be manufactured and used by humans. However, a dearth of data on the mechanics of thrusting spear use has hampered experimental research. This paper presents a human performance trial using military personnel trained in bayonet use. Participants thrusted replicas of Middle Pleistocene wooden spears into PermaGel™. For each spear thrust, impact velocity was recorded with high-speed video equipment, and force profiles were recorded using a force transducer. The results demonstrate that training improves performance when compared with previous experimental results using untrained participants, and that the mechanics and biomechanics of spear thrusting are complex. The trial confirms that previous spear thrusting experiments firing spears as projectiles are failing to replicate the entire spear thrusting event, and that crossbows are too powerful to replicate the low velocities involved in spear thrusting. In order to better understand evidence of spear thrusting in the archaeological record, experimental protocols accurately replicating and recording the mechanics of spear thrusting in the past are proposed.en_UK
dc.identifier.citationMilks, A; Pope, MI; Carr, D, et al., (2016) Early spears as thrusting weapons: Isolating force and impact velocities in human performance trials. Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 10, December 2016, pp. 191-203en_UK
dc.identifier.uri
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.09.005
dc.identifier.urihttp://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/10915
dc.publisherElsevieren_UK
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.titleEarly spears as thrusting weapons: Isolating force and impact velocities in human performance trialsen_UK
dc.typeArticleen_UK

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