300,000-Year-Old Weapons Reveal Early Humans Were Woodworking Master

[Judi Lynn]

3. Technological secrets from 300,000 BC: How one stick revealed early humans were more skilled than we

Technological secrets from 300,000 BC: How one stick revealed early humans were more skilled than we thought

It’s the first time that scientists have proved that pre-Homo-sapiens species of humans had developed sophisticated woodworking skills

David Keys
14 hours ago



The Schöningen double pointed wooden stick

New archaeological research has revealed that now long-extinct pre-modern species of humans were much more technologically skilled than previously thought.

Investigations led by a University of Reading archaeologist are showing that thousands of years before our species, Homo sapiens, existed, a now long-vanished early human species had developed sophisticated woodworking techniques.

A detailed scientific study of a 300,000 year old wooden projectile (a so-called throwing stick), found at Schöningen near Hanover in Germany, has revealed that the timber (part of a slightly curved spruce branch) was chosen with great care and that it was then de-barked and slowly seasoned (perhaps using gentle heat from a fire).

The archaeological investigation also demonstrated that the two ends of the 77 centimetre long projectile were then sharpened – and that the entire object was then sanded and polished to enhance its aerodynamic capabilities. It probably had a range of around 30 metres - and would have rotated, boomerang-style, when in flight. The very complex research into the Stone Age weapon involved three-dimensional microscopy, CT scanning and infrared spectrometry, to identify subtle surface and internal features. Although lightweight, the high velocity at which the weapon would have been launched would have resulted in deadly high-energy impacts.

More:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/homo-sapiens-wood-stick-weapon-schoningen-b2378210.html