The Aztec Atlatl in the British Museum
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6033545 |
|---|---|
| Authors | John C Whittaker (0000-0002-3529-2379, Grinnell College, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 69-79 |
| Publication date | 2015-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Ancient Mesoamerica (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0956-5361 • E-ISSN: 1469-1787 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0956536115000036 |
| OpenAlex | W1702124995 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 15 |
The British Museum's Aztec atlatl is one of their most famous Mesoamerican objects, yet it has not been studied as a weapon in light of current knowledge of spear-throwers, and the details necessary to do so have not been published. Close examination and experimental replication shows that although it is ornately decorated, it is a serviceable spear-thrower. While evidence of actual use of this specimen is ambiguous, we can at least accept the form as an example of working weapons of Contact period Mesoamerica. The actual effects and circumstances of atlatl use against the Spanish and others are difficult to judge from surviving accounts. The iconography of the decoration, as in other instances, associated this atlatl with elite warfare and deities of war and sacrifice
Aesthetics · Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Elite · Iconography · Mesoamerica · Political science · Politics · Sacrifice · Spear · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · History · Latin American history and culture · Law
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Experimental Investigations of Eastern Beringian Hunting Technologies
The gravity of Paleolithic hunting
The propulsion phase of spear-throwers and its implications for understanding prehistoric weaponry
The bow and arrow in South America
Aztec warfare
Estudios antropológicos publicados en homenaje al doctor Manuel Gamio
Broken Spears or Broken Bones
Power Materialized
Cushing's Key Marco Atlatls
We People Here
U-Shaped 'Ornaments' Identified as Finger-Loops from Atlatls
Historic Use of the Spear-Thrower in Southeastern North America
Cenote of Sacrifice
North American Ethnographical Material in Italian Collections
Two Ancient Mexican Atlatls
The Arrow
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,67 |
| Citation span | 2017 - 2024 (8) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 6 |