A Gaulish Throwing Stick Discovery in Normandy: Study and Throwing Experimentations

In 2010 archaeological excavations on the pre-Roman site of Urville Nacqueville, Normandy (France) discovered a shaped unknown wooden implement. This boomerang shaped wooden artefact, dated from 120 to 80 BC, has been found in an enclosure trench of a Gaulish village close to a ritual deposit of wha...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: L. Bordes, A. Lefort, F. Blondel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: EXARC 2015-08-01
Series:EXARC Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://exarc.net/ark:/88735/10203
Description
Summary:In 2010 archaeological excavations on the pre-Roman site of Urville Nacqueville, Normandy (France) discovered a shaped unknown wooden implement. This boomerang shaped wooden artefact, dated from 120 to 80 BC, has been found in an enclosure trench of a Gaulish village close to a ritual deposit of whalebones. The careful study of this implement, aside from archaeological and ethnological comparison, shows that it has probably been used more like a bird-hunting throwing stick. To test this hypothesis, experimental crafting and throwing of a replica has been conducted, aiming to get more information about its functionality from the various flying trajectories obtained.
ISSN:2212-8956