Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 19, 2026

Conducting Elevated Temperature Normal and Combined Pressure-Shear Plate Impact Experiments Via a Breech-end Sabot Heater System
Published on: August 7, 2018
The earliest evidence for mechanically delivered projectile weapons in Europe
Katsuhiro Sano1, Simona Arrighi2,3, Chiaramaria Stani4
1Center for Northeast Asian Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. sano.k@tohoku.ac.jp.
Abstract:
Microscopic analysis of backed lithic pieces from the Uluzzian technocomplex (45-40 thousand yr ago) at Grotta del Cavallo (southern Italy) reveals their use as mechanically delivered projectile weapons, attributed to anatomically modern humans. Use-wear and residue analyses indicate that the lithics were hunting armatures hafted with complex adhesives, while experimental and ethnographic comparisons support their use as projectiles. The use of projectiles conferred a hunting strategy with a higher impact energy and a potential subsistence advantage over other populations and species.
Related Concept Videos
Projectile Motion: Example
When we speak of the range (R) of a projectile on...
Projectile Motion
When an object falls under gravity and has no...
Projectile Motion: Equations
Any projectile motion problem can be solved by using the following strategy:
Impact: Problem Solving
By designating the launch point as the origin and utilizing kinematic equations, the vertical component of the projectile's velocity at the point of impact is...
Motion of a Projectile
Horizontal motion, governed by the initial kick, maintains a constant velocity throughout the flight of the soccer ball.

