About this episode

Alie Ward interviews experimental archaeologist Angelo Robledo about atlatls and ancient tools.

Spears! Sharp rocks! Ancient tools, bows and arrows and ...atlatls? What’s an atlatl? Experimental archaeologist and decades-long ancient tool enthusiast Angelo Robledo is as passionate as an ologist can get. You likely have never heard of an atlatl, but by the end of the episode you’ll be carving one out of old lumber. Also covered: the earliest stone tools, neanderthal hunting strategies, Indigenous traditions, ancient action figures, what to do if you find artifacts on a hike, and the physics of how far you can lob ancient weaponry.

People in this episode

Host: Alie Ward

Guest: Angelo Robledo

Topics covered

• ancient tools
• experimental archaeology
• neanderthal hunting
• Indigenous traditions
• physics of weaponry

Keywords

• atlatl
• ancient tools
• neanderthal
• Indigenous traditions
• archaeology
• hunting strategies
• physics
• artifacts

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: ATLATLS

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• GAR with Solomon David · May 21, 2026 · 28 min
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