European Championship of Prehistoric Weapons
Prehistoric Weapons European Championship Rules 2023
1. Aims: The prehistoric weapons contests are sportive events with shooting weapons which were used in prehistory for hunting and/or war (before writing and metal appeared). This rule imposes some conformity standards related the materials admitted form the competitors. These contests are anyone experimental objective and don’t aspire to be representative of actual knowledge about hunting actions and the material used during the Prehistory. All the most, they try encourage the competitors to inquire about the subject and to build their material according to the standards compatible with the cited periods. The Prehistoric Weapons European Championship consists of two events; Bow target shooting ant spear-thrower (Atlatl) target shooting.
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2. Conditions of participation: The Prehistoric Weapons European Championship is open to everyone people without distinction of age, sex or nationality who pay a registration fee of 5 euros per event (bow or spear-thrower) …. The entrance fee will be to the organizer for organization expenses (invitation, target, entry form, diploma etc. …). Each competitor is free to take part in the event of his/her choice.
The participants must return the registration form, completed and signed to the organizer of the contest. The organizer must to make an additional charge on the registration fee in case of belated inscription, or to refuse last minute inscription (contestants: think an organisational problem for the meal and the lodging).
3. Definitions and conformity standards: There are no restrictions as to the shape and size of the equipment used (except opposite mention) . However, it is advisable that this equipment should be similar to the prehistoric or ethnographic models know. Metals, plastics, synthetic materials and derivatives are strictly forbidden. Nevertheless, for practical reasons modern glues are accepted. Moreover, the manufacturing techniques must be compatible with technological potentialities in Prehistory (this does not exclude the use of modern machinery to make the equipment, so long as a similar result may be obtained with prehistoric techniques). The participants must have spare equipment, in case of breakage, but it must have the same characteristics as the main equipment. The conformity of the equipment (main and spare) will be controlled by the members of the jury by the organizer board of the meeting. If the material of a shooter is not according, in all or in part, to the standards definite above will may take part to the contest (bow or spearthrower), without his results counts for the classification peculiar at this meeting and for the European classification of prehistoric weapons European championship for this contest.
In order to avoid any confusion during the recovery of the spears and arrows and the evaluation of the results, each competitor must have his own equipment, clearly bearing his name, and in sufficient quantity to allow a good development of the contest. On pain of nullity of shoot, anyone shooter can not remove his projectile out the target before the result of his shoot quoted and recorded incontestably by others members of the group. In the interest of safety and to ensure a high standard of competition, the participants should have a certain degree of experience in the use of their equipment.
3A. Spear: (this word describes the projectiles thrown by the spear-thrower): Projectile, formed by a long narrow shaft in organic materials, made out of one or several parts; one extremity is either just sharpened or is formed by a point in hard organic or stone material. This projectile may be fitted with fletching in natural feathers. The twenty first centimeters from the dart must go in a ring of 19 mm interior diameter.
3B. Spear-thrower: Weapon made to throw projectiles such as spears; it is made of a stick or a small plank, of variable section, in organic material, ending on the distal side by a support (hook, spur or “cul-de-sac”) onto which the base of the spear’s shaft is seated, and presenting on the proximal end a part which is more or less fitted for holding. The support device can be carved from the block or added on, in which case it must be stuck with glues and-or bindings in natural materials which could have been used in Prehistory.
3C. Bow: weapon mad to shoot arrows; it is made out one or several parts of different nature or not (composite bows) to the exclusion of stripped-glued “all wood bows”, in organic materials, including a handle and two flexible branches in the extremities of which a groove may be carved. The handle and the extremities can be fitted with organics additions. The bow is strung with a single string tied directly and only to the two extremities and, when in use, is held by one hand on the handle while fingers of the other hand pull, hold and release the string. This string may be made of any number of strands of organic material. No device which may improve the aim is admitted. Although not attested by the archaeology, the use of a arrow rest is admitted if it is made on naturals materials.
3D. Arrow: projectile which is made of a shaft in hard vegetable material, it can have a slot and fletching in natural feathers, and may or not be fitted with a point in hard organic or stone material.
4. Organization of the events: The contest will be taking place around an « hunting run » allowing 10 shooting station to walk 3 times, or 30 shooting station to walk once. Each participant will must walk around the tour once or 3 times (according to the configuration of the run) and he will have right to 1 shooting per target and per run for effect 30 shooting. The organiser of each contest is free to create the tour chose for himself. He must to respect the number of the shooting station, the size of the targets and the shooting distance.
4A. The location of the shooting point will be materialized by 1 or 3 pegs (if organizer desire modifys shooting angle in case of contest with 3 rings) placed at the same distance of the target with a tolerance of 50 cm. In comparison with the values written below. The pegs indicating the shooting points will not higher than 25 cm (out the ground) in order to do not hold up the shooters during their movement (especially for the spearthrower). The organizer will watch over the shooting point (be) stand for do not hold up any shooters (left handed or right handed). In order to each shooter have the necessary space for execute his throwing (particularly for the spearthrower) a free space of 1.5 m. behind the peg will be made up. During the throwing, the shooter must have a foot in contact with the shooting point (never before the peg) remain body set back of this.
4B. The shooting will made on targets neutral colour divided in five concentric zones respectively worth form the outside towards the centre: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 points. This concentric zones will be decorated by an animal figuration ornate with an animal figuration, presenting the game, with a symbolic value. The centre of each target is clearly indicated by a small disc of contrasting colour. The limits of the concentric zones are indicated bay a simple line. Full surface of the circles of the target will be visible since the shooting point. The organizer will watch over that he has not vegetation or obstacle for disrupt the flight of the projectile within a radius of 2 m. of the target.
4C. The board below indicate the shooting distances. Children must shoot near a shooting point nearer of the target:
4D. Score of each competitor for each shooting will write on a specific account sheet. In these account sheet must be specified for each people his Name, first name and his category (H (men) or F (women) E (child) or HC (out contest)). All children, they aren’t 14 years on the first January of the present year contest in the child category.
Only the projectiles fixed into the target will be considered valid. A hit will touch or cut a line separating two zones will give the higher points.
The rebounds during the flight of the projectile upon any object be consider acceptable. The result for a projectile rebounded will calculate the same manner than for a normal shooting. The contestant from the projectile would cross completely the target without that the result be certain will begin again his shooting.
The score for each event will be calculated as follows:
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Example: if a competitor place 20 projectiles on the targets and thus gets a total of 90 points, he will the following score:
5. Security on the circuit: Organizer must arrange his run for the most total safety for contestants and spectators. Contestants will must vigilant. If it is the least doubt, contestant abstain from to shoot.
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By his/her signature on the registration form; which is compulsory, each participant admits full liability for any damage to persons or property arising form his/her participation to the contest. Each participant at less than one contest of the championship must be under the cover by an third party insurance covering the risk of accidents inherent to the practise of the shooting weapons (bow and spear-thrower).
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Underage participants must provide a statement signed by a parent or a guardian conforming that, in the event of any damage to persons or property arising form his/her participation, the parent or guardian admits full liability.
6. Grouping: each group should consist of (minimum) to 8 (maximum) competitors. The groups which are selected by drawing lots. Composition of each group will can drawn lots, if necessary, for create a diversity of people during different contests of the championship. If the number of the shooters is high (>80) the organizer can increase the numbers of persons by group for permit a good repartition of the shooter along the round and to avoid the traffic jam.
7. Judging: The judging will be done by the members of each group, which in rivalry, will control mutually. In case of point of contention, the organizer will settle. His decision will be irrevocable.
8. Classification: Each contest of the Prehistoric Weapons European Championship will have a classification for each contest and for each categories (man, woman and child). The general classification of the Prehistoric Weapons European Championship will be calculated on the average of the three best results obtained by each participant for each contest and for each categories.
To establish the classifications of rounds and annual general classifications, it is asked to the competitors to mention their names and complete first names (by avoiding the nicknames and the abbreviations) on the counting sheets. These file of counting of all teams and all events (bow, spearthrower, Isac) will be preserved by the event organizer till the end of the current championship. The classifications of every round will be transmitted in the secretariat department of the championship before 2 weeks following the event. The secretariat of the championship will transmit these classifications by e-mail to all the participants so that they can check them results. Mistakes or inaccuracies will be indicated by e-mail to the secretariat of the championship for a maximum deadline of 2 weeks after reception by the competitors. If need be, the secretariat of the championship will get in touch with the organizer of the sleeve to proceed to the controls and the corrections.
9. Engagement: Taking part in the Prehistoric Weapons European Championship implies full agreement with the present regulations. The jury’s decisions are final.
10. Provisions: The organizing committee, which for local reasons, would suggest, some modifications at this rule must advertise the championship secretary’s office, and will clearly write in the invitation folder sent at the contestant.
11. Events annexes: Organizer is free to propose others particulars contests (International spear-thrower accuracy contest crate by the World Atlatl association for instance). Contestant will see to provide oneself with necessary material, such as organizer will define in the invitation folder for the contest concerned.