Have you heard that the oldest known wooden spears are believed to have been crafted by Neanderthals approximately 200,000 years ago? A recent study reveals that these ancient tools were likely employed in hunting entire family groups of wild horses. The spears were originally unearthed at the notable archaeological site of Schöningen in Germany in 1994. Initially, researchers thought these artifacts were about 400,000 years old, but fresh analyses indicate they were actually made around the time when early humans honed their skills for communal hunting.
The array of weapons found at Schöningen is truly extraordinary, featuring nine intact spears, a lance, and a variety of other implements such as throwing sticks. This collection represents the only fully preserved set of wooden Paleolithic weaponry ever discovered. Earlier theories had proposed that these tools could have been crafted by a shared ancestor of both modern humans and Neanderthals, known as Homo heidelbergensis.
However, a new investigation concentrated on examining the specific deposits where the spears were found, rather than merely the sediment layers beneath them. This approach led scientists to conclude that these weapons are indeed around 200,000 years old, establishing them as the earliest known artifacts of this type on the planet.
Dr. Jarod Hutson, one of the researchers involved in the study, noted that this updated dating situates the spears firmly within the Neanderthal era. This finding is crucial as it enhances our understanding of Neanderthal behavior during an earlier phase of their existence, offering a more detailed perspective on their hunting techniques and social interactions.
The research indicates that the Neanderthals at Schöningen were likely engaging in cooperative hunting strategies, effectively targeting and taking down entire families of horses. Such successful hunts would have necessitated a significant level of teamwork among the Neanderthals.
The discovery of these ancient spears at Schöningen provides invaluable insights into the hunting practices of early Neanderthals and how they might have compared to those of the first modern humans. It seems that Neanderthals were quite skilled at hunting a range of animals with considerable success.
While the spears from Schöningen are the oldest complete wooden hunting tools discovered so far, an even older spearhead fragment has been located in Clacton, England. This finding hints that the practice of using spears for hunting may extend back even further, although the collaborative hunting seen at Schöningen might not have been present at that earlier time.
The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, offer a captivating look into the hunting strategies and social dynamics of Neanderthals from 200,000 years ago.
