Blunt instruments were tested on monkey skull and absolute pressure recorded for fractures (“comminuted depressed” fracture : a plate of bone is cracked). The results were :
hammer absolute pressure 7.96 Newtons/ cmsq . Area 3.14 cmsq.
hockey stick 6.25 N. A 4cmsq.
bike helmet 3.54 N . A 7.07 cmsq.
So the force was 25 Newtons , divided by Area in each case. The macaque monkeys are much smaller than humans with skulls about a third the thickness . But the principle of area reducing pressure is demonstrated .
So I applied this to a human skull which was excavated in Australia and assumed to have been struck by a hardwood blade-weapon. These blades are 1cm thick and oval in cross-section like a 40cal bullet shape with edge .1cm thick . Swords are about .25 cm thick with .04cm edge . My garden spade easily sliced a pig skull when a sharpened hardwood strip of correct weapon-dimensions bounced off the bare skull and just made a groove 1cm long . The spade made a penetrating fracture not comminuted depressed . So it seems the pressure of the wood is about half a sword’s-pressure at the cutting edge and a quarter pressure when the blade is engaged within bone .
Would that be the right idea of it?