Saturday, December 31, 2005

Overly exciting headline of the year Ancient "Weapons Factory" Found on Connecticut Ridge

About 3,000 years ago, a group of hunters perched on a ridge near what is now New Haven Harbor in Connecticut and fashioned quartz into projectile points.

The points were likely intended to form the lethal end of an atlatl, or spear-thrower, dart.

A skillful stalker could wield the weapon, which predated the bow and arrow, with enough force and accuracy to send a dart into a deer, turkey, or other small prey.

Those ancient hunter-gatherers have since vanished, but the quartz artifacts survive on the ridge, known as West Rock.


It's actually a pretty good article, but the headline is a little. . . over the top. Technically true, but trivially unimportant.