Revised Study: Schöningen Spears may be a "Mere" 200,000 Years Old, Stirring Controversy in the Archaeological World
Younger-than-anticipated spear displaying improved aesthetics?
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The oldest known, completely intact hunting weapons in human history have taken a beating, with a new dates for the Schöningen spears from Lower Saxony suggesting they're around 100,000 years younger than initially thought.
These wooden spears, a true archaeological sensation, have long offered a peek into our ancient past. However, their previously assumed age of 300,000 years is subject to question. According to an international research team, the Schöningen spears are only about 200,000 years old. The team has painstakingly dated the material from the find layer for the very first time.
With their significantly younger age, the Schöningen finds line up better with the lifestyles and hunting strategies of contemporary Neanderthals, notes lead researcher Olaf Joris of the Monrepos Research Center and Museum for Human Behavior Evolution in Neuwied, Germany.
Back in the 1990s, a treasure trove of prehistoric artifacts was unearthed in Helmstedt, Germany, including at least 20 hunting weapons - with at least ten spears measuring up to 2.5 meters in length. The finds show the inhabitants of the time possessed remarkable skill in crafting weapons and tools from wood. Moreover, the find layer contained a substantial number of horse bones – from over 50 animals – as reported by the Joris and his team in the journal "Science Advances."
Previously Revised Dating
The age of the find layer was originally estimated at 400,000 years, but it was later revised to 300,000 years. These earlier estimates were based on the ages of the layers above and below the find layer, but not the layer itself from which the spears actually hailed. The high age of the Schöningen site has consistently made it stand out among similar find sites. "Our dating result corrects this discrepancy," says the team.
The researchers took samples from the excavated sediment blocks containing small freshwater snails of the genus Bithynia to determine the age of the find layer using a biochemical analysis method called amino acid dating. By analyzing the closure caps of these snails, in which amino acids are preserved over thousands of years, the team was able to confirm a age of roughly 200,000 years. Additional samples from horse teeth and small crayfish shells reaffirmed the same age.
Reaction to the New Dating
Joris deems this dating "very secure." While the significantly younger age than previous estimates does not diminish the significance of the site, he notes that the newfound chronological context allows for improved understanding of the finds. For example, the inhabitants of the time seem to have had a preference for horses in Schoeningen, while aurochs were popular in Thuringian Taubach and reindeer in Lebenstedt near Salzgitter. In Schoeningen, the inhabitants utilized the existing shoreline to herd, kill, and butcher horses, following the same pattern as observed.
The findings hint towards better cooperation among Neanderthals in hunting. This approach was more efficient and posed less risk to individuals, potentially lengthening their lives. From around 200,000 years ago, remains of Neanderthals are increasingly showing evidence of a higher age—well beyond 40 years.
Challenges to the Dating
Archaeologist Thomas Terberger of the University of Göttingen has voiced skepticism about the new dating. "It's an exciting contribution to the dating debate," he emphasizes, "but for me, this question is still open." Tobias Lauer, a dating expert from the University of Tübingen, agrees that the method used may have limitations and requires further calibration.
Geologist Jutta Winsemann of the University of Hannover, however, finds the study's reliance on an outdated and proven incorrect geological deposition model to validate the new dating to be a significant weakness.
Even so, it's clear that the Schöningen spears, regardless of their precise age, remain the oldest completely preserved hunting weapons in the world. The oldest known preserved wooden hunting weapon in the world, a lance tip found in Clacton-on-Sea in southeastern England, is about 400,000 years old.
Source: ntv.de, kst/dpa
- Neanderthals
- Archaeology
Insights
- Unlike the previous assumption, the Schöningen spears may have been created by Neanderthals instead of early human ancestors like Homo heidelbergensis or their ancestors.
- The new findings support the theory that Neanderthals possessed advanced social structures and hunting skills, capable of organizing into teams to hunt and trap wild horses.
- The revised dating concretely contributes to ongoing discussions and debates on the social behaviors, hunting strategies, and capabilities of Neanderthals.
- The revised dating of the Schöningen spears, now estimated at about 200,000 years old, suggests that they may have been crafted by Neanderthals rather than early human ancestors like Homo heidelbergensis or their ancestors.
- The new finding aligns with the theory that Neanderthals had advanced social structures and hunting skills, capable of organizing into teams to hunt and trap wild horses.
- The scientific community is still debating the validity of the revised dating, with some archaeologists expressing skepticism and others raising concerns about the methodology used.
- Despite the ongoing debate, the Schöningen spears, regardless of their precise age, continue to be significant artifacts in the field of education policy, offering insights into prehistoric education and human evolution, particularly in the context of health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, and science.
