Not so simple tools: a weapon of 300,000 years reveals the secrets of ancient masters (photo)

Having examined a stick for throwing 300,000 years, scientists have revealed the process of creating this artifact. Using advanced visualization methods, they were able to demonstrate the production of a tool with hominids. Found in Germany in 1994 as part of the famous Sheningen collection, this artifact is the oldest of the known wooden tools we know. It is a short wooden stick with a double edge, writes iflscience.

Comparisons with the similar weapons used by ancient hunters-gathering have confirmed their metallic purpose, but still a detailed morphological study of these shells has not been carried out. In focus, technology appeared its Telegram channel. Subscribe not to miss the latest and most intrusive news from the world of science! The last study focuses on one of these metal sticks and shows how its creator carefully chooses the appropriate spruce branch before processing wood. Dr.

Annenike Milks, the author of the study, expressed her admiration for the skill of the woodworking of our ancient ancestors: "They not just chose a branch that they found on Earth, ripped a little bark from it and threw it. It is a complex tool with many stages of woodworking to create something of an aerodynamic. The central part has signs of discoloration and polishing, indicating that it was held in their hands and actively used before lost.

Researchers suggest that with the help of these metal sticks, ancient hunters could target up to 30 m, which allowed them to catch smaller and faster animals more efficiently than with long spears. The variety of tools found in Sheningen, not only testifies to the cognitive abilities of ancient people in the conceptualization of various tools to perform certain functions, but also assumes the possibility of joint hunting with the participation of adults and children.

The researcher Milks explained: "These lightweight metal sticks may have been easier to start than heavy spears, indicating the possibility of participating in the entire community . . . Such tools could be used by children when they learned to throw and hunt. " Referring to the recent discovery of ancient children's traces in the parking lot, Dr. Milks noted the significant presence of children in these communities and how they probably learned hunting from an early age.

Although the exact purpose of these weapons remains uncertain, researchers recognize the possibility that children could be involved in its use. The most understandable aspect associated with ancient metal sticks relates to the human species responsible for their manufacture. Due to the age, place of residence and technological complexity, artifacts could be made by Neanderthals and the mysterious Homo Heidelbergensis, but experts cannot agree on who they belong.

Posing the absence of human remains in Sheningen, Dr. Milks expressed difficulties in determining the creators of metal sticks, which forced the team to choose a neutral position and simply call them "human". Taking uncertainty, researchers refer to their origin as an open mystery. Earlier, Focus wrote how Czech archaeologists on the prehistoric ship checked how ancient people colonized the world.