80000-year-old bone spear made by Neanderthals challenges long-held assumption
Archaeologists in the Caucasus Mountains have unearthed the oldest spear tip ever found in Europe, challenging the long-held belief that Neanderthals did not create tools from bone.
The conventional understanding, implied by the term Stone Age, was that the arrival of modern humans, or Homo sapiens, in Europe spurred the development of bone tool manufacturing. However, the tapered spear, initially discovered in 2003 within Mezmaiskaya Cave in the Caucasus region of Southern Russia, presented a different narrative upon re-examination.
In a new study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, the authors revealed that this distinctive pointed bone artifact was fashioned from bison bone within a cave utilized by Neanderthals as a workshop across generations. This spear tip would have been attached to a wooden shaft crafted by Neanderthals for aerial propulsion.
To comprehend the sophistication and skill involved in creating this intriguing artifact, archaeologists employed advanced analysis techniques to examine the deepest layers of Europe’s oldest bone projectile point. This discovery, along with other recent findings, has presented a significantly different view of Neanderthals as skilled and intelligent craftspeople.
Neanderthals were innovative
A recent study contributes to a growing body of compelling evidence that contradicts previous assumptions about Neanderthals lacking the innovation necessary for survival in their ancient world.
Advanced microscopy, computed tomography, and spectroscopy provided a detailed view of how Neanderthal craftspeople shaped and finished the bison bone using stone tools, according to Ancient Origins.
The toolmaker designed the point to maximize its aerodynamic efficiency, revealing an understanding of aerodynamics. Parallel grooves on the object and signs of discoloration indicated to archaeologists that the toolmaker employed fire to harden the spear tip.
Neanderthals worked out of an ancient workshop
Traces of tar, an adhesive, revealed that Neanderthals fastened the spear tip to a wooden shaft intended for launching. Even the production of tar itself demonstrated their engagement in a complex process requiring controlled conditions. The artisan even polished the spear tip at the end to enable it to slice through the air effectively.
Evidence of use and repair led archaeologists to the conclusion that this type of weapon delivered impacts strong enough to warrant fixing rather than discarding it. The cave offered clues about the likely targets of these deadly spearheads, suggesting they were used against fast-moving and potentially dangerous prey. As Ancient Origins reports, their diet included birds and large game such as deer and bison, necessitating the development of diverse hunting tools.
Archaeologists unearthed this innovative weapon near a hearth, alongside stone tools and flint debris. This discovery began to paint a vivid picture of an artisan working by the fire in the company of others.
Mezmaiskaya Cave in Russia has challenged the negative connotations associated with the term “cavemen,” as Neanderthals utilized this location as their workshop for thousands of years, as reported by Ancient Origins. Far from being primitive and unintelligent, Neanderthals displayed complex systems of functions and manufacturing that have fundamentally altered our understanding of them.
Source: Interesting Engineering
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80000-year-old bone spear made by Neanderthals challenges long-held assumption