Oldest Javelins Predate Modern Humans, Raise Questions on Evolution. By Charles Q. Choi. National Geographic Daily News, November 26, 2013.
The
oldest known stone-tipped projectiles have been discovered in Ethiopia. The
javelins are roughly 280,000 years old and predate the earliest known fossils
of our species, Homo sapiens, by
about 80,000 years.
Earliest Stone-Tipped Projectiles from the Ethiopian Rift Date to >279,000 Years Ago. By Yonatan Sahle et al. Plos One, November 13, 2013. Also here.
Abstract:
Projectile
weapons (i.e. those delivered from a distance) enhanced prehistoric hunting
efficiency by enabling higher impact delivery and hunting of a broader range of
animals while reducing confrontations with dangerous prey species. Projectiles
therefore provided a significant advantage over thrusting spears. Composite
projectile technologies are considered indicative of complex behavior and
pivotal to the successful spread of Homo
sapiens. Direct evidence for such projectiles is thus far unknown from
>80,000 years ago. Data from velocity-dependent microfracture features,
diagnostic damage patterns, and artifact shape reported here indicate that
pointed stone artifacts from Ethiopia were used as projectile weapons (in the
form of hafted javelin tips) as early as >279,000 years ago. In combination
with the existing archaeological, fossil and genetic evidence, these data
isolate eastern Africa as a source of modern cultures and biology.
Oldest Human Fossils Identified. By Hillary Mayell. National Geographic News, February 16, 2005.
Stratigraphic placement and age of modern humans from Kibish, Ethiopia. By Ian McDougall, Francis H. Brown, and John G. Fleagle. Nature, Vol. 433, No. 7027 (February 17, 2005).
