300,000-Year-Old Throwing Stick Unveils Early Humans as Skilled Woodworkers and Hunters

A 300,000-year-old wooden throwing stick discovered in Germany has been subjected to cutting-edge examination, revealing the remarkable woodworking capabilities of early humans. The Schöningen spears, the earliest weapons ever recovered, reveal impressive details about early humans' behavior and carpentry skills.

Wooden Tools Earliest Form of Weapons

Phys.org reported that the wooden throwing stick was discovered in the 1990s in Germany's Schöningen region, revealing that early humans skillfully prepared it through scraping, seasoning, and sanding before using it for hunting.

The research, titled "A Double-Pointed Wooden Throwing Stick From Schöningen, Germany: Results and New Insights From a Multianalytical Study" published in PLOS One, suggests that early humans possessed more advanced woodworking techniques than previously thought.

The findings indicate that the creation of lightweight weapons, such as the throwing stick, might have facilitated group hunts of medium and small animals, potentially involving the entire community, including children. Dr. Annemieke Milks, from the University of Reading's Department of Archaeology, led the study and emphasized how these discoveries have transformed our understanding of early human behaviors.

Early humans demonstrated impressive planning abilities, extensive knowledge of wood properties, and sophisticated woodworking skills that continue to be valuable today.

The lightweight nature of throwing sticks likely made them easier to handle and launch than heavier spears, making them accessible to the entire community, including young individuals learning to hunt.

Dirk Leder, a co-author of the study, explained that the Schöningen humans crafted this aerodynamic and ergonomic tool from a spruce branch, undergoing multiple steps of woodworking, such as cutting, stripping bark, carving an aerodynamic shape, scraping the surface, seasoning to prevent cracking and warping, and sanding for improved handling. These findings shed light on the resourcefulness and ingenuity of early humans in crafting effective hunting tools.

Hunting as a Community Activity in Ancient Times

The discovery of lightweight weaponry suggests that early human group hunts may have involved the active participation of the entire community, including children, as these throwing sticks were more accessible to handle and launch.

As per Ancient Origins, children in hunter-gatherer societies were often provided with scaled-down versions of adult weapons for pretend play or to engage them in the hunting process.

Among the tools discovered in Schöningen, including the famous Schöningen spears, is a 77cm-long double-pointed throwing stick. This throwing stick likely served as a hunting tool for capturing medium-sized game, such as red and roe deer, and fast-moving small prey like hare and birds.

The rotational launch, similar to boomerangs, allowed these lightweight throwing sticks to achieve high velocities and deliver powerful and lethal impacts, reaching distances of up to 30 meters.

The well-crafted appearance, shaped points, and signs of repeated use suggest that this throwing stick was a personal tool used multiple times rather than a hastily crafted item. Tree ring analysis supported the notion that this weapon had been carefully utilized over time. The findings shed light on the early humans' resourcefulness and skill in crafting and employing effective hunting tools.

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