Deadly Aboriginal weapons: Scientists are new to explore the tools of the indigenous population of Australia

In focus, technology appeared its Telegram channel. Subscribe to not miss the latest and most intrusive news from the world of science! The focus was on Koodj and Leangle with a shield. Although their efficiency is well known to the soldiers who used them, researchers were asked to evaluate this weapon with modern tools. The research focused on the analysis of biomechanics of each impact to determine what made this ancient weapon so powerful.

Coge, made by the Nongar people in the southwest of Australia, is a hybrid of hammer, axes and Kochergi, and the history of its use can be tens of thousands of years. Although it is difficult to determine the exact origin of Koja through its organic components, the oldest ax found in Australia in a place called Carpenters-HEP 1, approximately 49,000-44,000 years.

Coge used in this study was made by Larry Blyt, a man from the Menang-Nungar tribe, with a wicker tree arms and a two-edged stone blade, fastened with a herbaceous tree (Xanthrrhoea). Leangle and the shield were made by Brendan Kennedy and Trevor Kirby, weapons from the people of Wadi-Wadi. They were made of solid wood and traditionally used together for melee. Since these weapons are completely made of wood, it is even more difficult to determine its historical origin than in the case of Koge.

However, the oldest wooden artifacts in Australia, such as boomerangs and mines, are over 10,000 years old and have been preserved in wetlands. Researchers, based on limited preliminary data, monitored kinetic energy and movement during shocks using body devices. These devices recorded the biomechanics of the shoulders, elbows and wrist of a person when it wields weapons.

The results showed that Leangl struck more deadly than Coge, although Kodge was marked by his maneuverability and the ability to strike potentially deadly blows. Historically, these weapons have appeared during conflicts within and between the Aboriginal groups, which European writers have written over the last few centuries. Rocking painting also depicts these tools, which indicates their use before the arrival of Europeans.

In some cases, weapons played a role in resolving disputes when the defendants passed through a "trial court" and had to resist the squall of shells (spears or combat boomerangs) without weapons or with a shield. Although such courts rarely end in death, injuries from these trials, such as deepening in the skull and fractures of the hands, indicate potential danger. Earlier, Focus wrote about the mysteries of the Silk Road, which archaeologists recently revealed.