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Other than taking a rock and lobbing it towards the head of your ill-intended, there is no older weapon than the spear.
With versatility only matched by its cheapness to produce, the spear has been humankind's "go-to" weapon for most all of its existence. In fact, in both Feudal Japan and in Viking cultures, the spear was the most common weapon. Swords, while wildly more romantic, were reserved for the highest echelon of fighting man. Wars, being primarily fought by the poor, were mostly fought with spears.
Spears have been produced with heads of rock (flint, chert or obsidian), bronze, iron, steel, and even merely the fire-hardened, sharpened end of a stick. Not all spears were thrown, but even as a hand-held stabbing weapon it still accomplished the one of the most important aspects of hand-to-hand combat . . . keeping you as far away from your enemy as possible.
And hunting with a spear is truly one of the most primitive experiences you can have in the woods.
Some dude hunting with a spear from Sunrise River Custom Knives
Even some of today's production knifemakers are making knives that are readily-adaptable into spears. Cold Steel, SOG, and Condor Tool and Knife all offer knives that easily be attached to the end of a broomstick for some stabby-stab action.
Here are some of the many applications of the spear in combat (from Wikipedia):
Spears, although apparently simple weapons, have a remarkable variety of wielding methods. Some are listed here from most passive to most active motions.
- Holding the spear or bracing it against the ground, a charging enemy impales themselves.
- The spear is thrust out with the arms alone.
- The spear is held stiffly, and the thrust is delivered by stepping forward.
- The spear is thrust out with the arms while stepping forward with one or both feet.
- The front hand releases as the back hand and back foot move forward to perform a long thrust.
- The spear is slid through the front hand, propelled by the back hand (a similar action to using a Billiards Cue).
- The spear is thrown, often at a run, releasing when the opposite foot to the throwing arm is forward.
- The spear is held couched under one arm, allowing a swinging motion as well as a powerful thrust.
- The spear is swung rather than thrust, causing the tip of the blade to slice open the foe's flesh. The sheer momentum built up by swinging can be enough to cause serious injury even with the blunt end. The spear can then be brought around in a stabbing motion.
This versatility led to the continued use of spears, in the form of pikes, for many years even after the invention of firearms.
In fact, when Germany tried to mess with the Swiss in '43, pikes and halberds helped to defend the homeland.
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The Atlatl in Action
The atlatl is a primitive device used to help throw a spear greater distances. It is basically a lever that you use to get more power into a spear throw. It came just after the spear and before the bow and arrow during the Long Esclation of Warfare during humankind's "chasin' and a pickin'" period.
Figure 1: The wind-up
Figure 2: Mid-throw
Figure 3: The spear (dart) has left the atlatl
Pictures are from http://www.buckskinning.org
The atlatl is still used by Australian Aborigines and was also used by the pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures of central Mexico. Holy crap - an article on Aztec Warfare. Man, the Interweb really does have everything.
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