Spears show sophisticated hunting earlier than thought
February 27, 1997
Web posted at: 1:00 p.m. EST
<Picture: spears>
In this story:
.Hunters, not scavengers .Spears made with care .'Serious about hunting' .Preserved because they were waterlogged .Related site
NEW YORK (AP) -- Working one step ahead of an expanding coal mine, researchers in Germany have unearthed 400,000-year-old wooden spears that show human ancestors systematically hunted big game much earlier than believed.
The three spears, 6 to 7 feet long and carved from the trunk of a spruce tree, were found along with more than 10,000 animal bones, mostly from horses.
Pieces of a fourth spear have also been found at the site, which apparently was a lakeshore hunting ground.
The findings indicate the ancient hunters were organized enough to trap horses and strong enough to kill them by throwing spears.
"There's no question if you are hunting a group of horses coming along a lake, you must be strong. You have to plan it, you have to organize it," said archaeologist Hartmut Thieme, whose crew made the discovery.