Hum Nat March 2023 PMID 36977916

The Use of Wooden Clubs and Throwing Sticks among Recent Foragers : Cross-Cultural Survey and Implications for Research on Prehistoric Weaponry.

Václav Hrnčíř

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Mentions

24
Peak: 11 in Mar 2023
across 3 sources since Mar 2023

Extended reach

78,638
potential audience

Total likes

44

Video views

18

Mentions per month

Mar 2023 – Aug 2024

Where it's discussed

  • X / Twitter19 posts
  • News3 articles
  • YouTube2 videos

AI synopsis

What people are saying

Discussions reflect a balanced curiosity and support for the study, with posts emphasizing the potential reinterpretation of early weaponry and tool functions, illustrated by phrases like 'challenge to traditional views' and questions like 'did prehistoric people actually use these weapons,' revealing a thoughtful engagement with the research’s implications.

AgreementModerate agreement

Most discussions recognize the study's challenge to traditional views on prehistoric weapons, supporting the idea that wooden clubs and throwing sticks were more diverse and multifunctional than commonly thought.

InterestModerate interest

Participants show moderate interest, as some are curious about the implications for understanding early human behavior, while others focus more on the basic findings.

EngagementModerate engagement

Many posts delve into questions about the archaeological and ethnographic evidence, indicating an engaged and thoughtful exchange.

ImpactModerate impact

The conversations highlight that the research could influence how we interpret prehistoric tool use, emphasizing its significance in understanding early societies.

Abstract in brief

  • The article challenges the common belief that early humans primarily used wooden clubs as weapons, noting that archaeological evidence from the Pleistocene is limited and that most ideas are based on ethnographic analogies.
  • A cross-cultural analysis of 57 hunter-gatherer societies shows that most used clubs for violence (86%) and hunting (74%), with some societies relying on them as main weapons for fighting.
  • The study finds that throwing sticks were less commonly used, and the wide variety in shapes and uses of such weapons among recent societies suggests prehistoric weapons were likely diverse, multifunctional, and possibly symbolic rather than standardized tools.]

Top posts

Most liked on X and Bluesky
Václav Hrnčíř
@VaclavHrncir · X

Have you ever wondered if prehistoric people actually used wooden clubs as their hunting and fighting weapons? I did, so I conducted some research

Mar 29, 2023 · 33 likes · 9 shares · 227 followers View post →
MPI-EVA Leipzig
@MPI_EVA_Leipzig · X

"The Use of Wooden Clubs and Throwing Sticks among Recent Foragers" - New study by @MPI_EVA_Leipzig researcher @VaclavHrncir now out in the journal Human Nature: https://t.co/hSvldBtyin See also, via @SAPIENS_org https://t.co/5yuaKZte9O

Apr 3, 2023 · 6 likes · 5 shares · 8,263 followers View post →
Yuuko Morimoto
@myuuko · X

古代人類は武器として棍棒を使っていたとされている。現代の狩猟採集民は棍棒をどのように使っているのかを調べたよという研究。/ The Use of Wooden Clubs and Throwing Sticks among Recent Foragers https://t.co/FxGRFJ4jt1

Mar 29, 2023 · 2 likes · 9,273 followers View post →
Ausarchosaur is counting the days til PhP Ice Age
@ausar_the · X

Addit: the archaeologist who wrote this article published a whole paper on it. https://t.co/UdivjS0pzv

Aug 29, 2024 · 1 like · 7,274 followers View post →
Rob Sica
@robsica · X

"Although the club may have served only as a secondary tool in hunting and fishing, in combat it may have been an integral weapon of any prehistoric warrior... Great cognitive abilities do not mean absence of relatively simple technologies." https://t.co/wNd3BA8n5A

Apr 1, 2023 · 1 like · 4,990 followers View post →
Will
@Evolving_Moloch · X

RT @VaclavHrncir: Have you ever wondered if prehistoric people actually used wooden clubs as their hunting and fighting weapons? I did, so…

Mar 30, 2023 · 9 shares · 20,228 followers View post →

All mentions

Ausarchosaur is counting the days til PhP Ice Age
@ausar_the · X

Addit: the archaeologist who wrote this article published a whole paper on it. https://t.co/UdivjS0pzv

Aug 29, 2024 · 1 like · 7,274 followers View post →
Eva Brandl
@EvaKBrandl · X

RT @MPI_EVA_Leipzig: "The Use of Wooden Clubs and Throwing Sticks among Recent Foragers" - New study by @MPI_EVA_Leipzig researcher @Vacla…

Apr 4, 2023 · 5 shares · 342 followers View post →
Graeme Warren
@GraemeMWarren · X

RT @MPI_EVA_Leipzig: "The Use of Wooden Clubs and Throwing Sticks among Recent Foragers" - New study by @MPI_EVA_Leipzig researcher @Vacla…

Apr 4, 2023 · 5 shares · 1,988 followers View post →
Human Relations Area Files @hraf755.bsky.social
@HRAF755 · X

RT @MPI_EVA_Leipzig: "The Use of Wooden Clubs and Throwing Sticks among Recent Foragers" - New study by @MPI_EVA_Leipzig researcher @Vacla…

Apr 4, 2023 · 5 shares · 912 followers View post →
Angela Chira
@ChiraAngela · X

RT @MPI_EVA_Leipzig: "The Use of Wooden Clubs and Throwing Sticks among Recent Foragers" - New study by @MPI_EVA_Leipzig researcher @Vacla…

Apr 3, 2023 · 5 shares · 288 followers View post →
Václav Hrnčíř
@VaclavHrncir · X

RT @MPI_EVA_Leipzig: "The Use of Wooden Clubs and Throwing Sticks among Recent Foragers" - New study by @MPI_EVA_Leipzig researcher @Vacla…

Apr 3, 2023 · 5 shares · 227 followers View post →
MPI-EVA Leipzig
@MPI_EVA_Leipzig · X

"The Use of Wooden Clubs and Throwing Sticks among Recent Foragers" - New study by @MPI_EVA_Leipzig researcher @VaclavHrncir now out in the journal Human Nature: https://t.co/hSvldBtyin See also, via @SAPIENS_org https://t.co/5yuaKZte9O

Apr 3, 2023 · 6 likes · 5 shares · 8,263 followers View post →
Rob Sica
@robsica · X

"Although the club may have served only as a secondary tool in hunting and fishing, in combat it may have been an integral weapon of any prehistoric warrior... Great cognitive abilities do not mean absence of relatively simple technologies." https://t.co/wNd3BA8n5A

Apr 1, 2023 · 1 like · 4,990 followers View post →
Bournemouth Arch & Anth
@BU_ArchAnth · X

RT @VaclavHrncir: Have you ever wondered if prehistoric people actually used wooden clubs as their hunting and fighting weapons? I did, so…

Mar 31, 2023 · 9 shares · 2,333 followers View post →
Luke Glowacki
@HSB_Lab · X

RT @VaclavHrncir: Have you ever wondered if prehistoric people actually used wooden clubs as their hunting and fighting weapons? I did, so…

Mar 31, 2023 · 9 shares · 4,147 followers View post →
Joan Turmelle (she/her)
@KilldeerCheer · X

RT @VaclavHrncir: Have you ever wondered if prehistoric people actually used wooden clubs as their hunting and fighting weapons? I did, so…

Mar 30, 2023 · 9 shares · 417 followers View post →
Will
@Evolving_Moloch · X

RT @VaclavHrncir: Have you ever wondered if prehistoric people actually used wooden clubs as their hunting and fighting weapons? I did, so…

Mar 30, 2023 · 9 shares · 20,228 followers View post →
Eva Brandl
@EvaKBrandl · X

RT @VaclavHrncir: Have you ever wondered if prehistoric people actually used wooden clubs as their hunting and fighting weapons? I did, so…

Mar 30, 2023 · 9 shares · 342 followers View post →
Jaimie Arona Krems
@JaimieKrems · X

RT @VaclavHrncir: Have you ever wondered if prehistoric people actually used wooden clubs as their hunting and fighting weapons? I did, so…

Mar 30, 2023 · 9 shares · 4,919 followers View post →
Oklahoma Center for Evolutionary Analysis (OCEAN)
@OCEAN_OKState · X

RT @VaclavHrncir: Have you ever wondered if prehistoric people actually used wooden clubs as their hunting and fighting weapons? I did, so…

Mar 30, 2023 · 9 shares · 1,301 followers View post →
Yuuko Morimoto
@myuuko · X

古代人類は武器として棍棒を使っていたとされている。現代の狩猟採集民は棍棒をどのように使っているのかを調べたよという研究。/ The Use of Wooden Clubs and Throwing Sticks among Recent Foragers https://t.co/FxGRFJ4jt1

Mar 29, 2023 · 2 likes · 9,273 followers View post →
Huw Groucutt
@huw_groucutt · X

RT @VaclavHrncir: Have you ever wondered if prehistoric people actually used wooden clubs as their hunting and fighting weapons? I did, so…

Mar 29, 2023 · 9 shares · 10,415 followers View post →
Brea McCauley
@brea_mccauley · X

RT @VaclavHrncir: Have you ever wondered if prehistoric people actually used wooden clubs as their hunting and fighting weapons? I did, so…

Mar 29, 2023 · 9 shares · 494 followers View post →
Václav Hrnčíř
@VaclavHrncir · X

Have you ever wondered if prehistoric people actually used wooden clubs as their hunting and fighting weapons? I did, so I conducted some research

Mar 29, 2023 · 33 likes · 9 shares · 227 followers View post →