Schöningen Spears: The Oldest Hunting Weapons

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Schöningen is a small town in Lower Saxony, a state in Germany. The Schöningen Research Museum has been built at great expense in a town of only ten to eleven thousand people. People with an interest in prehistory often set foot here. But why? Because one of the antiquities in this museum in Schöningen are eight spears, together called Schöningen spears.

A Schöningen spear is on display in the museum; Image Source: dieschoeningerspeere.de

What are these Schöningen Spears? It is said that these spears are among the wooden hunting weapons used by humans. Among all the wooden artifacts in the world so far, nothing older than Shonigen has been found. The Paleolithic or Old Stone Age (Palaeolithic/Old Stone Age), the era that ended ten thousand years ago, is a prehistoric weapon. As the name suggests, they were found in Schöningen, a place where humans and animals were said to have roamed freely for thousands of years.

Schöningen on the map; Image Source: donsmaps.com

The people of Schöningen once made a living from coal mining on the outskirts of the city. There, in 1982, Germany's Institute for the Preservation of Historical Monuments (institute for the preservation of historical monuments) conducted a survey on the feasibility of archaeological work. If the results are as expected, they allocate money. Archaeologists experienced in prehistoric matters. Hartmut Thieme took charge of the project in 1983. But the main excavations started much later, around 1994.

Dr. Thiem shows a visitor in action; Image Source: evohaft.org

Thiem was the first to make the discovery in 1995. The site where the spears were found was identified as site 13. Here the researchers worked for about three to four years and found wooden sticks and animal bones along with weapons. Among the bones were the skeletons of cows, elephants, and rhinoceroses, and more than ten thousand bones of horses and bison. Radiocarbon dating is used to determine antiquity. According to the results, the Schöningen Spears are 380,000-400,000 years old.

Found Schöningen Spears; Image Source: donsmaps.com

Seven spears were made of spruce wood, the other pine. They are between six feet and seven and a half feet in length. The configuration of three spears seems to be designed for throwing, the fourth is another weapon for stabbing. Their construction is truly astonishing, very close to modern spears. According to Thiem, the Schöningen Spears were high-tech compared to those times.

Thiem believed that Site 13 was a prehistoric hunting ground. Weapons, bones etc. are strong evidence in favor of his opinion. Researchers also think that various rituals were performed here after seeing some signs. It is believed that hunters also used Schöningen spears for this purpose.

Similar to the Schöningen Spears, spearheads have been found in Clacton-on-Sea, England. Together, the researchers concluded that these weapons were widely used by hunters in prehistoric times. They used to hunt large animals. Fossils of 500,000-year-old rhinoceroses have been found in England, showing signs of spear injuries.

Ancient Stone Age weapons; Image Source: zmescience.com

Scientists had an argument about Schöningen. It is true that some are made to throw javelins. However, until then, as far as they know, hunting from a distance was not practiced in prehistoric times, the prey was trapped and killed at close range. To resolve the controversy, a group of researchers from University College London (University College London) organized an experiment. They called six javelin throwers. They carried accurate replicas of Schöningen spears and threw them. Targets were fairly accurately penetrated at distances up to twenty meters.

Based on the results, the article published in the journal Scientific Reports claims that prehistoric hunters could hunt from a distance with spears. They were given proper training from their childhood, so they would acquire enough skills to target by growing up. Matt Pope, one of the researchers, commented - this technology that they had in their hands is an unprecedented discovery.

A research project was established in 2008 in collaboration with the government of Lower Saxony and the University of Tübingen to continue the excavations at Schöningen. It is funded by the German government. The main responsibility was entrusted to a renowned archaeologist named Nicholas Conrad. He and his team found site 13 and many more surprising signs. The address of the Schöningen Research Museum, including the Schöningen Spears. If you want to see, you can travel from Germany!

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