First Civilizations

(mysterious music) -

Narrator

Obsidian is one of the hardest and most brittle materials in the natural world. Sharper than a surgeon's scalpel. -

Translator

It's a unique rock, very beautiful. It produces a perfect fracture. It has a very fine edge, a very sharp edge. In Mesoamerica they didn't have steeel. They had soft metals like copper, tin, lead, gold, silver. So obsidian was excellent for making weapons. -

Narrator

Obsidian was the hallmark of one particular civilization. (dramatic music) Teotihuacan. This city of temples was 10 times larger than Monte Alban. Its armies enjoyed an overwhelming advantage, thanks to their obsidian-tipped weapons. They worked out how to propel their spearheads using a wooden throwing device known as an atlatl. -

Translator

It's a great weapon. It's easy to carry, relatively easy to make, and deadly to use against your enemies. It can be thrown a long way, and with practice, it's very accurate. (dramatic music) You can imagine an army of warriors throwing a huge number of spears with great speed and force. It would inflict terrible damage on the enemy. -

Narrator

As a projectile weapon, the atlatl and spear could deliver a lethal force without the need for hand-to hand combat. -

Translator

The tip is broken. It's lodged in the bone. Imagine the bleeding, and all the blood that would have been produced. It really is a great weapon. They would have been lethal with their atlatl armies. (dramatic music) (screaming) (warriors yell) (thunder rumbles)