A look into the early weaponry will not only provide a glimpse into man’s ingenuity but also his survival strategies. Two very important findings Clacton Spearpoint and the Magdalenian culture play a critical role in comprehensively understanding the evolution of military technology and tactics during the Paleolithic era.
Clacton Spearpoint, an important artifact of the British Lower Palaeolithic, has so far been the subject of much scholarly attention and debate. This spearpoint represents early human ingenuity devised implements, as stated by Bonsall, 1978 and Cook, 1980. The design and construction methods of the spearpoint have been reinvestigated as a means of understanding how early humans adapted hunting strategies to their environment. McNabb, 1989, forwarded an experimental hypothesis for the question of how the Clacton Spearpoint was manufactured, suggesting early humans used complex methods that involved both sticks and stones.
Its importance goes beyond its immediate utility as a tool for hunting. Trinkaus (1987) put the spearpoint in perspective regarding human hunting strategies in the course of evolution, with indications of a gradual shift toward complex and coordinated hunting methods. This view is further reinforced by Shea (1988), who researched similar spear points from the Middle Paleolithic of the Levant fact that underlines the wide diffusion of advanced hunting tools across different regions.
Parallel to the developments in the Clacton Spearpoint are the developments of the Magdalenian culture, which once flourished in Upper Paleolithic Europe. It forms a period succeeding the Solutrean industry and preceding the Azilian and typifies the climax of the cultural development in Upper Paleolithic times. The Magdalenians, dated from 11,000 to 17,000 years ago, had an exceptional skill both in toolmaking and the expressive arts. Geometrically shaped implements, burins, scrapers, and projectile points formed part of their stone implements. Bone was widely used to make several implements and ornaments.
What is more impressive, however, is the artistic accomplishments of this culture. During the early Magdalenian, art production began once again with simple line drawings, a retreat from the more elaborate Aurignacian expressions. Immediately, though, as the culture progressed, there was a sharp movement toward naturalism and great detail in engravings. The late Magdalenian culture is best known for its cave engravings and polychrome paintings, examples of which are found among the best works in the Altamira cave in northern Spain.
The decline of the Magdalenian culture coincided with the warming climate at the end of the Fourth (Würm) Glacial Period, by about 10,000 BC. When the herd animals disappeared, the rich Magdalenian culture was replaced by the simpler Azilian one. This whole process underlines the fact that human societies and their technological advancement are so crucially dependent upon environmental changes.
The discovery of the Clacton Spearpoint and the Magdalenian culture represents a real treasure trove of information concerning early developments related to military technologies and tactics. These findings thus offer insight into the ingenuity and the adaptiveness of our ancestors, an understanding that forms part of the evolutionary path concerning human hunting and tool-making practices.