Throwing stick

The throwing stick is probably the oldest weapon of hunter-gatherers. Except in humans has also been observed in monkeys that they lined down sticks or hard fruits of approaching predators, such as leopards, threw. Therefore, it is assumed that the throwing wood older than the spear (ie a sharpened at least on one side of floor).

Generally

The throwing stick, originally used as a defensive weapon or slamming of non climbable fruits and nuts, was eventually used as a hunting weapon.

It was probably at first only for weak game. The in flight rotating timber could, for example, by the emitted upon impact force a bird stun (hit zone head ) or hits on the wings by temporary paralysis or breaking bones prevent flying off and thus secure the prey. Is the effect matches the throwing wood less than that of the spear, the hit zone of the rotating stick is significantly larger than the javelin, a major advantage for smaller targets such as birds.

The javelin with his piercing effect then allowed for the slaying of larger game. The particular use was probably discovered just when throwing. In the Upper Paleolithic power and reach of the spear was increased by the invention of the spear-thrower on.

Australia

The word boomerang, used in only one of the many languages ​​of the aborigines of Australia called there the simple throwing stick for hunting ( boomerang ), not the returning boomerang (sports boomerang ), now used for the European languages ​​the word " boomerang " will. He could be difficult, and 1.30 m long and 2 kg.

Skilled throwers can have a hunting boomerang throwing up to 100 m wide. This hunting boomerangs, called Kylie, were used by the Australian Aborigines as a grave stick or club.

The drawing of a throwing stick as the origin of the letter P?

The early form of the letter P in the proto- Semitic alphabet may be the symbol for a throwing stick. However, this output symbol is accepted in the literature only partially, some sources give no output symbol. It is certain that in the Phoenician alphabet one letter with the name of Pe ( mouth) exists, similar to the proto- Semitic throwing stick and has the form of an open loop to the left. The phonetic value of Pe at the Phoenicians was [ p].