Primitive Technology

by David Wescott

  The Society of Primitive Technology

  Join the SPT and support a unique organization devoted to the preservation of a wide range of primitive technologies. The SPT preserves and promotes this knowledge through its outstanding publication, The Bulletin of Primitive Technology (published twice yearly).

  The Bulletin helps those interested to learn, practice and teach primitive skills as well as a contact for other practitioners.

  The purpose of the SPT is: (1) to promote the practice and teaching of aboriginal skills; (2) to foster communication between teachers and practitioners; and (3) to set standards for authenticity, ethics, and quality. The Bulletin is to serve as a means of accomplishing these goafs.

  The Society of Primitive Technology is a non-profit organization. For information on membership, refer to the last page of this publication.

  * * *

  Throwing Darts With The Baton de Commandement

  by Paul Comstock

  * * *

  From 23,000 to 12,000 years ago, across of wide expanse of Europe, a tool was made that is today called the baton de commandement. Surviving artifacts are made of antler. They usually have a tine intersection at one end. This usually forms a T or Y shape. At the minimum, there is always a swelling of the antler at one end. There is always a hole drilled through the antler below the T, Y, or swelling. The batons are usually under a foot in length.

  When these artifacts were first discovered more than 100 years ago, they were considered to be emblems of status or authority, hence the name baton de commandement. Many of the batons were highly decorated, contributing to the conclusion of earlier archaeologists.

  It is usually assumed the batons were some type of tool. Many uses for the batons have been suggested. Perhaps the most widely suggested is the batons were shaft straighteners. One of the more esoteric explanations is the batons represent sexual symbols, specifically the combination of female orifice and phallic antler.

  While the batons can be the subject of much speculation, they have one trait that can be clearly demonstrated. They are very effective spear throwers. A cord is needed to throw a spear or dart with a baton. The cord is fastened to the batop and the loose end is knotted. The knotted end is wrapped around the dart, in the manner described by Tim Baker in a separate article on arrow throwing. Using only my hands, I can throw a 66-inch, 1,500-grain (97.4 gram) feathered dart about 30 yards. If I secure a cord to the dart (ie., the arrow-throwing method) I can throw the dart about 43 yards. If I use a baton and cord, I can throw the dart up to 68 yards.

  The batons first appeared 9,000 years before the atlatl was invented. If the batons were used to throw spears, ancient hunters would have found the baton allowed them to double the force they could obtain with a hand-thrown spear. This would have made a baton a very valuable item. With an 11,000-year life span covering an area from France to Moscow, it seems the batons were indeed valued by Paleolithic hunters.

  Figure 1. These batons de commandement can be used to increase the force of a hand-thrown spear or dart. The baton at the right is made of a whitetail deer's right antler, and is for a right-handed thrower. The wooden batons are copies of Paleolithic artifacts. Each baton is shown as a right-handed thrower would see it when looking at his hand, palm-up.

  Cro Magnon Man (By Tom Prideaux, Time-Life Books, 1975) says the oldest atlatl artifacts come from the cave of La Placard, France, and are about 14,000 years old. These artifacts consist of the hook, or spur end, of the thrower. Made of antler, many of these artifacts are more highly decorated than most batons. When the atlatl appeared, the baton began to slowly disappear. Using a 28-inch atlatl, I can send the 1,500-grain dart mentioned earlier 78 yards. The well designed atlatl is more efficient than the baton.

  I have made proportionately accurate copies of 11 different baton artifacts. All are equally effective in dart-throwing. They range from 6 to 8 inches in length. The biggest baton artifact I have seen described in a book was 13 inches long. Copying a baton artifact is fairly easy since many are depicted in books. If the above baton illustration is enlarged with a copying machine, it becomes a pattern to make a wooden replica.

  Figure 2. Here are copies of baton de commandement artifacts which appear to have been worked to accentuate the curve of the handle, or to create a recess to accomodate the base of the thumb. Such batons allow effective dart-loading while enabling the thrower to keep his eyes on his target.

  The Paleolithic batons were made of red deer or reindeer antler. It also is possible to make a baton out of whitetail deer antler. The main beam of whitetail deer antler curves much more sharply than red deer or reindeer antler. For this reason, the right-handed thrower may find he needs to make his baton from the whitetail's right antler. And vice-versa for the left-handed thrower. The straighter red deer and reindeer antlers are more likely to produce ambidextrous batons. Many batons have a definite front and back side. These batons cannot be expected to work if held in the incorrect position.

  The hole serves a critical element in baton function. Each of my 11 baton replicas works well when one end of the cord is tied around the baton shaft. The loose end is passed through the hole and appears on the front side of the baton. From there, the cord passes over the top of the baton and is twisted around the dart. Some of these batons also work best when the cord is twisted around the dart in a counter-clockwise direction when viewed from the dart's point. (See photo) Others require a clockwise twist. Correct twisting of the cord passed through the hole will keep the dart from falling off the baton until the throw begins. This is the most critical function of the baton's hole. Conceivably, some batons could work with no hole. But the loading process would be far more cumbersome. A T or Y shape at the end of the baton increases tolerance of variations in cord-twisting.

  Figure 3. This is the typical appearance of a dart loaded into a baton. The cord was twisted one full revolution around the dart, in a counter-clockwise motion toward the dart tip.

  Some batons have curved handles. These batons should be held so the handle curves away from the wrist. Some straight-handle batons can be held with either side facing up and still produce good results. With some batons, the cord can come out the hole on the back side of the baton. Another option may be to tie the cord directly through the baton hole, instead of around the baton handle and passed through the hole. Variables in the throwing process include cord length, number of revolutions the cord is wrapped around the dart, baton length, dart length, and dart center of gravity.

  For accurate and stable dart flight, it seems the cord should extend from the baton 8 inches. For a quicker throw, a 10 to 12-inch cord may yield better results. The number of revolutions the cord circles the dart affects dart flight and accuracy. The 66-inch 1,500-grain feathered dart requires one complete revolution of the cord for best results. A 45-inch 500 grain feathered dart only needed 3/4 of a turn. Too many turns will greatly reduce dart velocity.

  Figure 4. When throwing darts with a baton, technique is more important than baton design. The baton at top is a hypothetical model 13 inches long and an inch wide. Used correctly, it is as effective as a routine baton. The bottom two are copies of artifacts, and are also reliable throwers.

  Roots of Civilization (By Alexander Marshack, Moyer Bell Ltd., 1991) includes two depictions of cave paintings showing darts that are unmistakably fletched. In one scene, 19 fletched darts are flying at a horse. In the other, a rhinoceros has been hit with four such darts.

  To subject the baton-thrower concept to a severe test, a hypothetical baton was made, 13 inches long and only an inch wide. It was first used with a shallow V in the end, and later used with a flat, angled end. With both configurations, the 1,500-grain dart flew as well as it did from a normal baton. The hypothetical baton required a cord twist of 1 1/2 revolutions. The baton user must experiment with such variables for the best results. The good performance of the hypothetical baton shows proper technique is far more important than baton design.

  The 1,500-gra
in dart works well with the wrap beginning at the dart's mid-point. The 500-grain dart worked well with the wrap starting at the dart's center of gravity. The easiest darts to use will be quite nose-heavy. The 1,500 and 500-grain darts were made of river cane, with the thick end as the tip. They yielded good flight more consistently than a 45-inch feathered piece of broom handle, which was not nose-heavy.

  There is reason to suspect the baton should be as long as possible, while still allowing about 12 inches of the dart to extend beyond the throwing hand. Longer batons work better with longer darts. Short batons also work well with long darts, but the increased leverage of the longer baton can be expected to improve dart speed.

  A good cord for some darts is a leather thong. The knotted and twisted thong will grip a wooden shaft tightly. It may tend to slip, however, if used with a modern aluminum atlatl dart. Wetting the last few inches of the thong usually improves the grip.

  As another example of the force of a baton-thrown dart, one throw of my 1,500-grain dart accidentally hit a 7/8-inch sapling 15 yards away, splitting the wood from one side to the other and leaving the dart pinned in the tree.

  Other darts used include a regular wooden archery arrow. Best results can be expected when the baton is not much longer than about six inches. An arrow seems to fly best with 11/2 twists of the cord, but it is difficult to throw an arrow without some wobble. The 45-inch piece of cane made a better dart.

  At the other end of the extreme, I have tried a six-foot spear that weighed a whopping 1.375 pounds (626.7 grams or 9,604 grains). This monster put tremendous strain on the baton cord. An otherwise tough leather thong would break with a hard throw, or if the cord was given too much tension before the throw. A Dacron cord held up without breaking. Throwing such a heavy dart in an aboriginal setting would require a sturdy cord of rawhide or sinew.

  The effectiveness of the baton-thrower — combined with the fact batons ultimately disappeared following the invention of the atlatl — is perhaps the greatest reason to suspect the batons were used this way at 20,000 B.C. There are other subtle hints.

  Figure 5. This is M. C. Burkitt's concept of thong-softening, to explain apparent "wear" traces on some batons de commandement. This "wear" could have been intentionally worked into batons to improve reliability when throwing heavy darts.

  The Old Stone Age: A Study of Palaeolithic Times (by M.C. Burkitt, New York University Press, 1955) suggests the batons were used to work stiff thongs to make them soft. He shows an illustration of such a thong threaded through a baton hole (see photograph). He says some baton artifacts show this kind of wear—at the bottom of one side of the hole and at the top of the other side. This is exactly the kind of wear that could result with a baton thrower when the cord is tied around the handle, and passes out the front hole of the baton, going over the top of the baton. What may be more likely, however, is the baton-makers worked the holes this way intentionally to remove sharp edges that could cut or fray the cord under the great strain of throwing a heavy dart. The same thing could be accomplished by cutting the hole at an angle or making the hole wider at the surface than in the interior. Both methods are displayed with some Paleolithic batons. The angled hole is described in Ancient Hunters and Their Modern Representatives (by W.J. Sollas, The MacMillan Co., 1924). A baton with a wide-throated hole is shown in The Old Stone Age.

  Many batons could certainly have been used as shaft straighteners. But not all shafts could be straightened with batons, and not all batons co uld straighten a shaft.

  Cro Magnon Man shows a photo of an open Russian grave containing two boys buried 23,000 years ago. Visible in the picture is a baton. Also visible are spears or lances made of mammoth ivory, lying next to the boys. Not only are these ivory spears too large to fit in the hole of the baton, but at their widest points they are as thick as the baton's handle.

  Man and Culture in the Late Pleistocene: A Case Study (by Richard G. Klein, Chandler Publishing Company, 1969) shows artifacts unearthed in Russia that appear to be hide scrapers or polishers. They have flattened, spoon-like ends, often serrated around the edges. One of these artifacts, labeled an "artobject," hasaholedrilledthroughthemiddleofthe spoon. The artifact is depicted from two sides, and the spoon-like section is quite thin, too thin to straighten a shaft without badly denting the shaft or creating strain that would threaten to break the spoon. Yet this artifact was drilled for some apparent purpose. A wooden copy of this artifact is a reliable thrower of the 1,500-grain dart. Modifying the customary grip when using this baton (see photo) keeps the dart in place before the throw. Another baton shown in Ancient Hunters has four holes and is a good dart-thrower. Perhaps it and the Russian spoon baton were designed as dual-purpose implements.

  Figure 6. This copy of a spoon-shaped Russian baton requires pinching the handle with the fingertips for reliable dart-throwing.

  As mentioned earlier, a curved-handle baton has definite advantages when loading the dart. Some batons were carved to increase the natural curve of the antler. The Old Stone Age shows an attractive baton carved to the form of an animal's head around the hole. The handle was worked to form a gradual and graceful S-curve. Another such baton is depicted in Ancient Hunters. The curve at the end of the handle was accentuated by carving, giving the end of the handle the shape of an elongated knob. A variation on this theme is another baton depicted in Ancient Hunters. The handle was shaped to make a concavity that fits against the base of the thumb when the baton is used as a thrower.

  Figue 7. This carving on a fragment of a baton de commandement from La Madeleine, France, shows a man holding a stick just as he would if about to throw it with a baton. (Redrawn from "Ancient Hunters and Their Modern Representatives.")

  Also depicted in Ancient Hunters is a carving on a fragment of a baton from La Madeleine, France. It shows a man slightly crouched and leaning forward, as if he is about the throw the stick in his hand, held with one end over his shoulder. Instead of holding the stick in the middle, he is gripping it nearer its tip, just as he would if throwing it with a baton. Roots of Civilization shows a photograph of this fragment. Toward the end of the figure's stick are two lines that may be intended to depict barbs on the stick.

  The case for the Paleolithic baton spear-thrower is compelling. The baton spear-throwers that work well today could have worked well long ago, when there were no atlatls and no archery. Could Ice Age hunters have made batons for 11,000 years without discovering they could double the force of a hand-thrown spear?

  Here is a suggested loading-throwing sequence for a right-handed thrower:

  • The thrower holds the dart and the loose end of the baton cord. The dart point is to his left, the butt to his right. The baton dangles free at this point.

  • The end of the cord circles the dart shaft and the cord is wrapped behind the knot on the end.

  • The thrower removes his right hand from the dart and grabs the baton. If watching the target, he slides his hand down the cord until it reaches the baton.

  • If he is using a curved-handle baton, the thrower can tell the baton is right-side-up by the feel of the baton in his hand. And if the cord is passed through the hole correctly, the baton and cord are automatically in the correct position in relation to the dart. If using a straight-handle baton, the thrower can confirm correct position of the baton by feeling for the cord coming out of the front side of the hole with his thumb. •The cord is then twisted around the dart, toward the dart tip. If using a one-revolution twist, the thrower can keep his eyes on the target. He can use his left hand to make sure the knot is on the same side as the dart as the baton, assuring a complete revolution.

  • The thrower next pulls the baton toward the dart tip, so the cord is under at least slight tension. He next grips the dart with his right thumb and forefinger (just like gripping an atlatl dart) and removes his left hand from the dart.

  • The thrower throws the dart at the target similar to throwing a hand-held spear. The throw must be a perfect overhand movem
ent. As with the atlatl, any sideways movement can spoil the throw. At the point of release, he opens his right thumb and forefinger.

  ATLATLS: Throwing For Distance

  By Craig Ratzat

  * * *

  Most of the papers and books on the atlatl produced thus far are trying to prove if the atlatl weight improves or hinders performance. Performance being measured by the distance that a dart can be thrown. I'm no engineer, but with all the engineers that have worked on self bows if a weight worked in the middle of a bow limb you could go to the store and buy a bow with weights attached. The atlatl weight does work as a counter balance to the dart so that it can be held in the ready position in a hunting situation for an extended period of time without the wrist and arm tiring out, thus measuring performance at the dinner table, rather than distance (fig. 1).

  Figure 1: The author with a target or hunting style atlatl ready to throw. Atlatl is 24", and the dart is 67"

  Look at the atlatl as a held bow that when matched with the right spined dart, both the atlatl and dart will flex with stored energy that will cast the dart like an arrow from a bow. Although using the flex-spine theory for better performance, the weighted atlatl and dart set for hunting is different in length and weight than those used for long distance throwing. For maximum distances there are a number of factors to keep in mind:

  1 -length of the atlatl

  2-weight of atlatl

  3-dart weight