Homo sapiens, that is, our species, appeared approximately 300 thousand years ago. According to recent research, around the same time, people used complex hunting weapons, and they were made of wood. It must be said that scientists have long suspected that people in the Stone Age actively used wood to make tools and other products, but unlike stone artifacts, they have not been preserved. But, fortunately, not all wooden products rotted — In a recent study, scientists examined nearly 200 artifacts discovered in an ancient cache in Germany. Among them are spears, throwing sticks, as well as all kinds of household equipment.
Scientists have discovered that ancient people created complex wooden weapons 300 thousand years ago. Photo source: www.sciencealert.com
People used wooden weapons of the appearance of Homo Sapiens
When researchers began to study wooden artifacts from the Schöningen cache in Germany, they were amazed at the complexity of the wood processing technology that was used to make wooden products. For their work, they used 3D microscopy and micro-CT scanners, that is, modern precise methods, so there could be no mistakes.
Previously, it was believed that only modern people, that is, Homo Sapiens, used such a technique. However, the tools were made by a different type, since modern people had just appeared at that time, and lived exclusively in Africa. Migration to Europe began much later.
It is possible that this wood processing technology, known as the “splitting technique,” was not invented by modern humans, but was borrowed from another species. As we said earlier, there is evidence that Homo sapiens exchanged experiences with Neanderthals.
Ancient wooden weapons that were used for hunting
For production, species were used that are flexible and at the same time hard, such as spruce, pine and larch. The researchers report this in the journal PNAS. As the researchers explain, processing wood using this method is a slow and multi-step process that requires not only patience, but also accuracy. Most likely, this technology existed long before the products described in the study were created.
Who and why made wooden weapons in the Stone Age
Perhaps the most interesting question — who used complex wood processing technology to make wooden weapons? The age of the tools coincides with the period when Neanderthals began to dominate Europe and displace other species. In addition, these people have long been known for their sophisticated technologies. For example, they knew how to make glue, process leather, create jewelry, and in general could be as smart as modern people.
And Neanderthals were also skilled hunters, for example, they hunted elephants, which were even larger than mammoths. Therefore, they needed good weapons. From all of the above it follows that most likely wooden weapons were created by Neanderthals. Hunting ensured their population stability and contributed to the expansion of their habitat around the world.
To make tools, ancient people used complex wood processing technology. Photo source: www.pnas.org
But, interestingly, although Neanderthals hunted various animals, they preferred to eat only muscles and liver, and only deer and rabbits. At least, this result was shown by one of the studies that we talked about earlier.
Ancient people recycled waste from wood
In addition to all of the above, scientists discovered another interesting fact during the study & #8212; Neanderthals seem to have been careful with raw materials and recycled waste. For example, if a weapon became unusable, it was not thrown away, but was used to make other products.
Wood processing technologies used by ancient people. Photo source: www.pnas.org
According to the scientists themselves, the wooden hunting weapons from the Schöningen cache demonstrate the interaction of technological complexity, human behavior and human evolution. Wood, apparently, was an important raw material for human evolution, but, unfortunately, only in Schöningen are wooden products well preserved from Paleolithic times.
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Unfortunately, we now receive all the information about Neanderthals thanks to such discoveries, but at the same time we still do not know exactly what they really were like, since these people became extinct several tens of thousands of years ago. According to one version, they were destroyed by the love of Homo Sapiens for women. You can read more about this at the link.