"Regardless of whether this weapon was thrown or simply hand-held, it
would have been much more efficient and lethal than a simple wooden
thrusting spear,' Boeda's group concludes in the June Antiquity.
"The reasearchers excavated the Syrian site, Umm el Tlel, from 1991
through 1998. In the latest field season, they discovered the partial
spear point poking into the cavity of the horse-like creature's neck bone.
Only a forecful thrust-which severed the stone's tip as it penetrated the
animal's flesh and broke off its base once the point poked through the
bone-could have wedged the weapon into that position, the team holds.
"A strong, uneven force produced scarring on the base and sides of the
stone artifact, indicating that it was bound to a shaft or handle, they say.
"Neandertals probably stabble the animal as it stood, Boeda and his
coworkers theorize. Penetration of the spear point into the spinal cord
would have caused immediate, irreversible limb paralysis. If the ass had
been lying down because of injury or illness, the hunters would have
stabbed it in the rib cage rather than the neck." B. Bower, "Neandertal
Hunters Get to the Point," Science News, July 3, 1999, p. 4
The production of a stone tipped spear requires an ability to plan for the
future far beyond what is seen in any chimpanzee or for that matter, any
other animal. The Neandertal must go get a suitable stone. Not all stones
are suitable for making a point. Neandertals were known for testing the
stones and discarding the ones that didn't come up to standards. (Paul C.
Mellars, The Neanderthal Legacy, (Princeton: University Press, 1996), p. 265)
Then the stone must be carefully prepared and turned into the point. IN
the case of Neandertals this required the following to create a stone tool:
step 1--35 blows;
step 2-25 blows;
step3-1 blow;
step 4-50 blows
source-Bernard G. Campbell and James D. Loy, Humankind Emerging, (New York:
HarperCollins, 1996), p. 432
Each blow had to be carefully planned especially if the previous blow had
not been totally satisfactory.
Then Neandertal had to go cut down a tree, remove the branches, shape the
shaft, fashion a haft, tie the stone to the wood via the haft. Then it was
time to go hunting which required another huge amount of planning.
Planning where the animals were, tracking the animal etc. Finally
thrusting the spear into the poor thing. For a discussion of the
implications of tracking animals in the hunt for the ability to think and
plan see http://www.calvin.edu/archive/asa/199905/0375.html
All of this indicates a being of tremendous intelligence with an ability to
foresee the future. These are not mere bipedal animals as some apologists
erroneously claim.
glenn
Foundation, Fall and Flood
Adam, Apes and Anthropology
http://www.flash.net/~mortongr/dmd.htm
Lots of information on creation/evolution