Humans were using stone spear points over 1/2M years ago

In summary, this article discusses how skills that are commonly thought to be recent are in fact very old. The article also discusses how ancient hunting tools may have been horns and antlers.
  • #1
turbo
Gold Member
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Probably can't teach about this in the Bible belt...

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hISS_RrQOpDbJ9sk84ActLvv-6ZA?docId=CNG.9484301c0f281a31e8383bf96341f10b.471 [Broken]
 
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  • #2
Interesting. Thanks for the link!
 
  • #3
It seems we are finding more and more proof that skills we considered rather recent are instead very old. Too bad that we don't have a history of these people. What a loss.

The iceman Otzy turned what we thought we knew of his age upside down. Much more advanced than we had believed.
 
  • #4
Evo said:
It seems we are finding more and more proof that skills we considered rather recent are instead very old. Too bad that we don't have a history of these people. What a loss.

The iceman Otzy turned what we thought we knew of his age upside down. Much more advanced than we had believed.
Yep, Take the commonly-held belief that hafting spears with stone points began 300K years ago, and then push that back another 200 (+?) years, and we have an idea how thin our knowledge can be for the early history of humans. The kicker is (IMO) that the techniques could have evolved much, much earlier and been spread to other areas... Can we possibly take samples from one or two archaeological sites and extrapolate with any accuracy? BTW, flint from the Moosehead Lake region of Maine has been found all across the St. Lawrence waters and down through the center of the US, concentrated along the Mississippi valley and tributaries.

I would love to have concentrated on archaeology, except it would have necessitated "portability" when I had older friends and family members who were not in the best health. I know a doctor of archaeology in west-central Maine, and he is living a pretty spartan existence with no electricity or running water, just so he can follow the digs. He is well-known in the field, but he's spending most of his income just chasing digs.
 
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  • #5
Meticulously crafted sharp stone tools, flint I believe, along with spears and axes are found at a good number of sites in England dating from 400,000 years all the way to 980,000 years.

See the recently published "The British Paleaolithic" by Pettitt and White.

Back that far in time (in between and before the various ice advances) the climate was much warmer and species of horse, giant deer and rhinoceros were hunted by those early people. The authors above do a nice job of presenting the fauna and flora at each age based on the archaeological evidence.
 
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  • #6
I've long thought the earliest hunting "tools" might have been horns and antlers of fallen prey. These would be difficult to discover as such unless tied to a stick - but would make sense if early humans observed various animals engaged in fights and the damage done by the horns or antlers.
 

1. How do we know that humans were using stone spear points over 1/2 million years ago?

Scientists have discovered archaeological evidence, such as stone tools and animal remains with cut marks, that suggest the use of stone spear points by early humans. Additionally, advanced techniques such as radiocarbon dating have been used to accurately determine the age of these artifacts.

2. What was the purpose of using stone spear points?

The use of stone spear points allowed early humans to hunt larger and more dangerous animals, providing them with a more efficient and effective way to obtain food. It also allowed them to defend themselves against predators and potentially helped with other tasks such as digging and cutting.

3. How did the use of stone spear points impact human evolution?

The use of stone spear points is considered a significant milestone in human evolution, as it demonstrates our ancestors' ability to create and use tools for specific purposes. This development may have led to increased brain size and cognitive abilities, contributing to the advancement of human intelligence.

4. Were all early humans using stone spear points or only certain groups?

It is believed that the use of stone spear points was not universal among early humans, but rather developed independently in different regions and among different groups. Some populations may have continued to use other hunting methods, while others adopted and improved upon the use of stone spear points.

5. How did the use of stone spear points change over time?

Archaeological evidence suggests that the use of stone spear points evolved and became more sophisticated over time. Early stone spear points were often crude and simple, but as time passed, they became more refined and specialized for different purposes, such as hunting specific types of animals. This demonstrates the ingenuity and adaptability of early humans.

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