Evolution And History

214 CHAPTER 9 | The Global Expansion of Homo sapiens and Their Technology

The techniques of the Upper
Paleolithic allowed for the
manufacture of a wide variety
of tools. The finely wrought
Solutrean bifaces of Europe
(shaped like the leaf of a plant)
were made using the pressure-
flaking technique. Tools such
as eyed needles and harpoons
began to be manufactured out
of bone as well.

© Gianni Dagli Orti/Corbis © Réunion de Musées Nationaux/Art Resource, NY

Figure 9.7 Spear-throwers (atlatls) allowed Upper Paleolithic individuals to throw spears at
animals from a safe distance while still maintaining reasonable speed and accuracy. Upper
Paleolithic artists frequently combined artistic expression with practical function, ornamenting
their spear-throwers with animal figures.

SPEAR

ATLATL

Wooden shaft Bone or

stone point

Stone weight

Launching

hook

Handle

northern regions where the ability to stitch together ani-
mal hides was particularly important for warmth.
The spear-thrower, also known by its Aztec name atlatl,
appeared at this time as well. Atlatls are wooden devices,
one end of which is gripped in the hunter’s hand, while
the other end has a hole or hook, in or against which the
end of the spear is placed. It is held so as to effectively ex-
tend the length of the hunter’s arm, thereby increasing the
velocity of the spear when thrown. Using a spear-thrower

greatly added to the efficiency of the spear as a hunting

tool (Figure 9.7).

With handheld spears, hunters had to get close to their

prey to make the kill. Because many of the animals they

hunted were large and fierce, this was a dangerous busi-

ness. The need to get within close striking range and the

improbability of an instant kill exposed the hunter to con-

siderable risk. But with the spear-thrower, the effective

killing distance was increased; experiments demonstrate