Archaeologists excavating a cave in southern France, led by the University of Connecticut in the US, have found the earliest evidence of the use of bows and arrows outside of Africa. The results of the work of scientists sent at Science Advances.
Grotto Mandren is a cave where the first representatives of modern humans lived about 54 thousand years ago. The research team found more than 300 small clues here. The largest of them was 6 cm long and the smallest was only 10. Traces of impact and damage were found on approximately 200 works.
The research team couldn’t figure out what these clues were used for – arrows or spears. The team made 82 flint tip replicas and created replicas of old launch guns with them. The archer then shot arrows and spears at the goat’s carcass. The team found that the small size and weight of the flint tips work best for archery. Arrows penetrated much deeper – more than 25 cm – than spears that pierced only the skin.
Scientists believe that the cave dwellers are the earliest representatives of Homo sapiens, who came from Africa to this region where Neanderthals lived. According to scientists, the discovered artifacts are the earliest evidence of the use of a bow with arrows that gave Homo sapiens an advantage over Neanderthals.