Unveiled a cave in the south of France evidence of the first use of bows and arrows by modern humans in Europe about 54,000 years ago, much earlier than previously known.
The research, published Wednesday in the journal The progress of science, pushes back the era of archery in Europe by more than 40,000 years. The new discovery comes from Mandrino cave in the middle valley of the Rhone river, in the south of France.
The use of bows and arrows in Africa has been documented in approx 70,000 years.
Until now the oldest evidence of archery in Europe has been the discovery of bows and arrows in northern European peat bogs, particularly that of Stellmoor, Germanydating back between 10,000 and 12,000 years.
The Grotta del Mandrin, which was first excavated in 1990, It has several layers of archaeological remains dating back 80,000 years.
The researchers who conducted the latest study previously documented this neanderthal and their modern “cousins” -Homo sapiens- alternately inhabited said cave.
One such layer known as “Layer E” has been attributed to presence of homo sapiens about 54,000 years ago and is sandwiched between layers of various Neanderthal occupations.
The experts carried out a functional analysis of the stone artifacts found in “Layer E” that were more finely crafted than in spikes and knives which were in the lower and upper layers.
A few small flint points were key as other archery elements such as wood, fibers, leather, resins and sinews are perishable and they are very rarely preserved in European Paleolithic sites.
For the study, the researchers reproduced the file small flint points found in the cave, some of them smaller than a dime, and shot them like arrowheads at dead animals with a replica bow.
“We couldn’t throw them at the animals any other way than with a bow, because they were too light and small to be efficient,” he explained Laura Metz of the University of Aix Marseille and co-author of the study together with Ludovico Slimak from the University of Toulouse.
“We had to use this type of propulsion,” Metz told AFP news agency. “The only way it would work was with a bow.“, He added.
The fractures in the flint points were compared with the notches found in the artifacts found in the cave, which undoubtedly proved that They were used as arrowheads. the scientists explained.
“The fractures in many, not all of them, are from impact,” Metz added. “And you are they were at the end of the tip“.
Metz said the evidence he found suggested Neanderthals and Homo sapiens used it maybe they met at a certain point, however “we don’t know the nature of that meeting, whether it was pleasant or not”.
The Neanderthals who inhabited the cave at the Mandrin site continued to use it traditional weapons, such as spears and they have not developed mechanical thrust weapons, the expert explained.
“THE traditions and technologies dominated by these two populations were therefore profoundly distinct, illustrating a marked objective technological advantage for modern populations during their expansion into the European continent,” said the researchers.
Metz said the cave’s occupants routinely hunted horses, bison, deer and other animalswhose bones were found inside.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.