Weapons, Tools and Technology

Since 2021 a research team has systematically analysed the wooden assemblage from the famous Spear Horizon (Schöningen 13 II-4) with financial support of German Research Foundation (DFG). For the first time, this volume provides an overview of the well-preserved material which is the largest Palaeolithic wood assemblage worldwide. The study brings to light 188 wooden artefacts made of spruce, larch, and pine. A minimum of 25 hunting weapons is recognised including spears, throwing sticks and numerous point and shaft fragments. With a particular focus on woodworking technology and tool recycling, the new findings bear implications for the interpretation of Schöningen as a hunting/butchering site. Moreover, the study allows new insights into human evolution and cognitive capacity c. 300,000 years ago.