Archaeologists discover what could be world's oldest boomerang in Europe

[Judi Lynn]

1. World's oldest boomerang doesn't actually come back

8 hours ago

Helen Briggs
BBC environment correspondent•@hbriggs



Maciej Biernacki The boomerang was found near stones, animal and human bones

The world's oldest boomerang is older than previously thought, casting new light on the ingenuity of humans living at the time. The tool, which was found in a cave in Poland in 1985, is now thought to be 40,000 years old. Archaeologists say it was fashioned from a mammoth's tusk with an astonishing level of skill.

Researchers worked out from its shape that it would have flown when thrown, but would not have come back to the thrower. It was probably used in hunting, though it might have had cultural or artistic value, perhaps being used in some kind of ritual.



Talamo et al., 2025, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0 The boomerang is curved and a mottled brown colour with paler patches. A scale is included showing the boomerang is about 75cm long.Talamo et al., 2025, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0 The ivory boomerang is curved and about the size of a baseball bat


The mammoth ivory boomerang was unearthed in Oblazowa Cave in southern Poland. It was originally thought to be about 30,000 years old. But new, more reliable radiocarbon dating of human and animal bones found at the site puts the age at between 39,000 and 42,000 years old.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cren818q5x1o