Woomera (Aboriginal spear-thrower)
Woomera (propulsor multifunción aborigen)
- Date
- c. 4000 BCE · confidence low
- Place
- Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia
- Credited to
- Australian Aboriginal peoples
- Field
- Conflict
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A wooden spear-thrower that extends the arm's reach for hurling spears and which, in many versions, also serves as a container, scraper or fire-making board. It developed in Australia independently of the Eurasian and American atlatl.
Its appearance is inferred from Arnhem Land rock art and changes in stone points during the mid-Holocene; the date is approximate. It did not reach Tasmania, isolated before its adoption.
What it led to
- hunting kangaroos and large game at greater range
- a multi-purpose tool in travelling kit
- spread across almost the whole continent except Tasmania