Function and performance analysis of a banot as javelin

Abstract

This article will explore the use of the banot as a javelin in the pre-Hispanic societies of the Canary Islands. By consulting historical sources from the conquest of the islands, compiled by authors such as Juan Luis Cuscoy, we will try to clarify the use of this tool by these societies. A small ethnographic investigation is also carried out in an attempt to look for parallels between the current Canarian culture and the aboriginal culture, in order to signify the use of the banot in the past. With all these sources, a replica of a banot that is deposited in the Town Hall of La Orotava will be recreated in order to verify its use as a javelin. To check this functionality, it will be compared with other similar pieces such as the soliferreum from the Iberian Peninsula, as it has a similar typology. An experiment will be carried out in which we will first look for the optimum way to throw the piece, using different techniques. We will then analyse the maximum distance that the piece is able to travel, and finally we will discuss the role played by the bulge in the piece, in order to clarify whether it is a handle or has some other type of use. In addition, the aim is to clarify the importance of these pieces for the aboriginal Canary Islanders and whether they were a common tool or something reserved for prestigious figures, as well as the number of pieces that each individual would carry.