Anthropologieet Prdhistoire,11I, 2000,88-94

The Boomerangfrom Obtazowa and its PrehistoricContext

Pawel Varpp-Nowax

The Obtazowacave is located in the southern very briefly, the archaeological context of the wall of a limestone hill (670 m). The hill itself find may be represented. is situated in a broad valley stretching at the The boomerang is relatively well preserved. foot of the Tatra mountains, on the northern side In 1985, it was brought to light as an almost of the mountain range, along the borderland complete object. Only a small end-piece was between Poland and Slovakia in the village missing. Fortunately, five years lateq, during Nowa Biaa near Nowy Targ. In the cave, we further exploratiory we managed to find the have recognised eight cultural levels within missing fragment, so that now the object is 76 sedimentation series so far (fig. 1). The longer (fig. 3). We are also sure about the shape rocky bottom of the cave has not been reached of the whole object. It was made of a splinter yet (Vald-Nowak, Nadachowski & Wolsary of a mammoth's tusk. One of the faces was 1987). The boomerang was found in layer polished, which resulted in the cross-sectioryflat fl. 8, below two layers with some unspecified on one side, and convex on the otheq,typical for Upper Paleolithic flint material, and above layer many kinds of boomerangs. Tracesof numerous n. I1,,where leaf-points have been found, most scratcheson the convex side cannot be ascribed probably of the Szeleta culture. Incidentally, I to human activity. We must seriously take into will only add that the deeperlayers, n.1.2and 15, consideration the possibility that they are marks contained Mousterian inventories. Drawing left on the tusk while the animal was still alive. attention to the stratigraphic position of the The incisions visible on the flat side must be layer with the boomerang is important in so far interpreted in a different way: there is no doubt as the results of the radiocarbon dates of layer that they were all made by man. At one of fl. 8, i.e., the one with the boomerang, (about the ends, w€ can see relatively deep engraved 32000B.P.), and layer n. 15 (about 25000B.P.), lines parallel to the edge of the object. They can cannot be accepted. The samples were taken hardly be recognised as an ornamental patterry from bones. A whole series of samples will though they clearly set off the integrity of the be dated as soon as possible. Summarising: form (fig. 4). At the other end, we can see the stratigraphic position of the level with the a series of straight lines running diagonally boomerang allows to date it approximately back on both the convex and flat sides. They are to the youngest part of the Upper Paleolithic. probably caused by use. The recently carried The boomerang was found during the first out reconstruction, aiming at a better fitting of a season of researckr, that is in 1985, in the slightly deformed ring, i.e., a subsequent layer assemblageof large quartz and granite pebbles, of growth of dentiry showed that the boomerang undoubtedly brought to the cave by Prehistoric is a little twisted round its longest axis (fig. 5). man. Other objects were also found in the The twist, reflecting the form of the tusk itself, assemblage,such as coresof imported flints and which is twisting during its growttr, may have local radiolarite, or stone tooli (fig. Z). Some had a great significance for such and not any elementsof the inventory may be referred to the other aerodynamic characteristicsof the objeci. circle of the Eastern Gravettian cultures (Valde- These characteristicswill finallv be determined Nowak, 1987). The finds were accompanied after experimental tests with u rnor" complete by very rich faunal remains representing such initial material available now. The previous species as Arctic and Norway lemming or replicas were made after the incomplete object, reindeer (Nadachowski & Wolsan, 1,987\.Thus, while such an important characteristic as the The Boomerang from Oblazowa and its Prehistoric Context 89

0.0m

:fs" d

o ='--" J oDoA\- \ oQ9 o

o 6)0 n \--l

t_/ D ,. s %- o r-r D n o (x) o o oou- v ^c\ -o "o\}: oo a-_ Dt o o q o W on6.;6il -o o V/B///ifittttttt,tf**""'ffi'r'n""""u"&

oo e-;-\F - /^ (O) A o , O o--u o arD' vv^o /)..,o,LD,Dt,..,. ^ O ^Yo

o a o a o -/1 '@o h I \___,v Fig. L - Synthetic stratigraphy of sediments in the cave of ObLazowa data of research 1985-1990.Commentary in the text. a &-153

mffi" 7'-', W" Kl, A" rrt=ln=rr=r0 40cm

Fig.2 - Section of the planigraphy of finds in the layer in which the boomerang was found.

-'ffi

Fig. 3 - Boomerang from oblazowa with the fixed end-piece found in 1990. The Boomerang from Oblazowa and its Prehistoric Context 91

Fig. 4 - Part of the bottom (flat) surface of the boomerang from the cave in Oblazowa with the engraved lines visible. 92 Pawel VarpE-NowAK

G G bD cl'5

.-.l: t\l qJ

(ll l{ Gl q ii l. (n I

ctt t fl (s

,nl=5 - (6 3 N \ll !! tr € bD GI o E s o fl *',1 a F U I ro (: b0 Ir tl nl: The Boomerang from Oblazowa and its Prehistoric Context 93

above mentioned twist, was unknown. The type, in contrast to other Australian boomerang experiments are carried out by Mr. Dieter Evers types. The length of the Queensland boomer- in Wiesbaden. angs ranges between 60 and 80 cm. Let me It is generally known that the definition of remind you that the boomerang from Oblazowa the boomerang and the so-called killing-stick rs 72 cm long. has lead to much controversy (compare, for The number of archaeological and icon- example, Thomas, 1983). The rich literature ographic data confirming that this kind of of the subject has caused a serious confusion, weapon originated in many different places and it was only recently that in the monograph rather than in Australia alone is considerable. by Hans Peter (1986), both the definitiory ty- Here we may mention the collection of over pology and world history of the boomerang, 20 boomerangs from the tomb of Tutankhamery was critically and thoroughly investigated. We some of which (the fact important for the find can learn from it, among other things, that a from Oblazowa) were made of ivory. From boomerang does not need to have the capability Africa also, many depictions of human figures to return to the thrower. Referring to numerous with boomerang are knowry for example on examples from Australia, \Memay show that a the stone plate from Abydos (3000B.C.), which majority of the types of boomerangs used there represents hunting scenes. Egyptian paintings do not have that capability. Besides,what may showing Libyan warriors with boomerangs be particularly interesting, among the boom- from the time of the reign of Queen Hatszepsut erangs of one type, for example the ordinary may be cited as well. The relief from Niniva boomerang, the Kimberley or West Australian depicting a hunter with a boomerang falls types, some specimens have the capability to among the best known Asian proofs of the returry while others do not. Nevertheless, the use of the boomerang in the past. As for the Aborigenes regard them as boomerangs. The American continent, besides many proofs that criterion of returning cannot, according to Pete4, the boomerang is known among Indian tribes help to define the boomerang accurately. Peter such as Comanche, there is an archaeological did find another characteristicwhich does allow find dated by radiocarbon at about 100008.P., to define it. The characteristic is linked with which has been known for some time. It is a the vertical cross-sectionof a boomerang. If the wooden object identified as a hooked boomer- cross-sectionis flat and convex, or lenticular, ang (all these finds are more extensively dis- then according to Peter and the Australians, we cussedby Peteq,1986). Since the beginning of the are dealing with a boomerang. Other elongated 20th century we have also known archaeological thrown, oval or round in cross-sectiory are finds of boomerangs in Europe. At least one of considered to be killing-sticks. With referenceto the three repeatedly published wooden objects such definitions, the specimen from Oblazowa found in the Upper Mesolithic layers of the peat- must undoubtedly be regarded as a boomerang. bog of Braband-s in Denmark is a boomerang Attention should be drawn to a clear similarity (Schwantes,1934). Incidentally, the boomerang between the specimen from Oblazowa and one from Braband-s looks like the Kimberley type of the twelve major Vpes of boomerangs known known from Australia. So faq, the boomerang from Australia. Here I have in mind the so- from Braband-s has been recognised as the called Queensland type, which used to be wide- earliest specimen of a weapon of this kind in spread in the easternAustralian province of the Europe. A subsequentEuropean find Velsem in same name. Nowadays, such boomerangs are Holland is considerably later. It dates back to found mainly in museums. There are no known the Early Iron Age. This completely preserved descriptions of aerodynamic characteristics of specimen revealed the capability of returning such objects and no experiments on replicas of during experiments (Hess, 1973). Similarly to museum specimenshave been carried out. Hans the object from Oblazowa, it is slightly twisted. Peter supposes that some of the Queensland Side by side with thesefrequently published boomerangs may have the capability to return. earliest European boomerangs, I would like to Typological affinity of the Obtazowa specimen cite the find of a fragment of the radius bone of to the Queensland type involves not only its a mammoth shaped by mary and found in one if characteristiccrescent form, pointed at the ends, the brick-works in Stillfried in Lower Austria. without any distinct hold, but also its size,which Since it was flat-and-convex in cross-sectioryit is rather narrowly specified for this particular was classified as a boomerang by Karl Kriegler 94 Pawel VaroE-NowAK

(1962) and referred to the Upper Paleolithic, der OsterreichenArbeitsgemeinschaft fiir Ur- though the find had no archaeological context und Friihgeschichte,Weir:., XIVXIV: 740. of corresponding stratigraphic data: in any HEss F., 1973.Antiquity, 47:303-306. case, neither from the well-known Gravettian site (Stonework Workshop) examined by Felgen- KRIecrsR K., 1962.Die bearbeitete Mammuth- haueq, nor from the famous paleopedological speiche aus Stillfried an der MarclU Nieder- profile also located in Stillfried (Felgenhauet osterreich.Acta Preahisorica,XXXIIV: 6-L3. 1980,see further literature there). NaoacrrowsKr A. & WorsaN M.,1987.Anew In my opinion, the find in the cave in location of the late PleistoceneFauna in the Oblazowa gives evidence that a thrown weapon Polish Carpathians. Current Researchin the with the characteristics of a boomerang was Pleistocene,4: 112-114. used in Central Europe in the Upper Paleo- Pgrpn H., 1986.Wesen und Bedeutungdes Bume- lithic. Greater attention should therefore be rangs.Wien. given to previously excavated inventories of that chronology which contain numerous bone ScHwaNTES G., 1934.D eutschlands Ur ges chicht e . fragments, including mammoth tusks. It is very Leipzig. likely that some of these objects, which are only THovtes 1.,1983.Why boomerangsboomerang fragmentarily preserved, escaped the attention (and killing-sticks don't). New Scientist of the researchers. 22 (9):838-843. Veros-NowAK P., 1987. Entdeckung der pa- liiolitischen Fundstellen im Tal des Bialka References Thtrzanka-Flusses.Acta ArcheologicnCarpa- FsrceNFrAUER F., 1980. Ein jungpaliiolitishes tica, XXYI: 5-35. Steinschlageratelier aus Stillfried an der VerpE-NoWAK P, NepacHoWSKI A. & MarclU Niederosterreich. Zur Herctellungs- WorsaN M., 1987. Upper Paleolithic technik von Mikrogravettenspltzen, For- boomerang made of mammoth tusk in schungen in Stillfried, 4. Verffintlichungen south Poland. Nature,329:436438.

Author's address: Pawet VeLos-NowAK Polska Akademia Nauk Zaklad Archeolo gii Malopolski Instytutu Historii Kultury Materialnej StawkowskalT P-31-016 Krak6w (Pologne)