An extremely rare set of 300,000-year-old wooden tools has been discovered in Germany
Volker Minkus/MINKUSIMAGES, NLD
Spears and dozens of other tools miraculously preserved in swamps offer a rare glimpse into prehistoric human societies, perhaps Neanderthals.
Wood, which is easy to work with and transform, is undoubtedly one of the materials that has been with humanity the longest. Whether with the aim of converting them into hunting weapons, or simple tools. Ironically, it is one of the least known materials among archaeologists and paleoanthropologists. The wood is particularly fragile, and does not survive the ages.
In the scientific literature, the reference site is that of Schöningen, in Lower Saxony, in Germany. Spears dating back 300,000 years were discovered there in the 1990s. Proceedings of the United States Academy of Sciences (With people) View the latest finds from the site with 187 elaborately carved wooden artifacts. There you will find spears and weapons, but also dozens of non-hunting tools.
Read alsoDiscovering the oldest wooden building in the world
“ Strictly speaking, Schöningen does not represent a turning point in human history with the sudden emergence of technology…
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