Multidisciplinary Approaches to the Study of Stone Age Weaponry

The objective of this volume is to showcase the contemporary
state of research on recognizing and evaluating the performance of stone age
weapons from a variety of viewpoints, including investigating their cognitive
and evolutionary significance. 

New archaeological finds and experimental studies  have helped to bring this subject back to the
forefront of human origins research. In the last few years, investigations have
expanded beyond  examining the tools
themselves to include studies of damage caused by projectile weapons on animal
and hominin bones and skeletal asymmetries in ancient hominin populations. Only
recently has there been a growing interest in controlled and replicative
experiments. Through this book readers will be updated in the state of
knowledge through a multidisciplinary scientific reconstruction of prehistoric
weapon use and its implications.
Contributions from expert
authors are organized into three themed parts: recognizingweapon use
(experimental and archaeological studies of impact traces), performance of
weapon systems (factors influencing penetration depth etc.), and behavioral and
evolutionary ramifications (cognitive and ecological effects of using different
weapons).