Recent research by UCL archaeologists has demonstrated that Neanderthals had sophisticated weaponry that could kill from a distance contrast to long-held theories regarding how Neanderthals hunt. Their target was the Schöningen spears, 300,000-year-old wooden weapons, and how effective those were at killing over great distances, according to research published in Scientific Reports.
Dr. Annemieke Milks from the UCL Institute of Archaeology led the investigation and testing of replicas of these ancient spears. The results of this suggest that when hunting their prey, the Neanderthals did not have to be near but could hunt over distance with effective use of their tools. This greatly modifies the record of Neanderthal abilities and shows them instead as proficient, capable hunters with appropriate technological abilities.
The Schöningen spears from Germany found with 16,000 animal bones, represent the oldest complete hunting weapons known so far in Europe. In addition, a spear fragment recovered in England at Clacton-on-Sea has been dated to 400,000 years, further pushing back the dates on when early humans began to develop such subtle hunting technology.
The efficiency of such spears was tested using six javelin athletes. The professional high-velocity throwers showed that a spear could hit with lethal force on targets up to 20 meters away. This range is doubled from what scientists had previously estimated, indicating Neanderthals could hunt large game from a safer range.
Using Norwegian spruce trees, UCL Institute of Archaeology graduate Owen O’Donnell fabricated spear replicas, with a carefully fashioned form from the original Pleistocene weapons. The research demonstrated that due to their balance and weight, spears could be thrown with considerable kinetic energy strong enough to kill prey.
Co-author of the study Dr. Matt Pope said that the finding, which has been placed in the context of human evolution, is very significant. He explained, The invention of distance-captive weapons-A projectiles-resents a very important, though dark milestone in our history. It extended the capabilities of humans and was a very important factor in survival and evolutionary success.
The conclusion by Dr. Milks was that hunting from a distance could be included in the Neanderthal hunting strategies, which is both behavioral flexibility and narrows the gap between Neanderthals and modern humans. This adds to an ever-growing amount of evidence showing that the Neanderthals were not just our primitive cousins but were, in fact, quite clever and capable hunters in their own right.