Neanderthals' brains built long distance weapons
Neanderthal super-spears that could kill animals from 65ft away reveal how ancient human ancestors were more advanced than thought
Neanderthal spears were used to kill prey from up to 65 feet ( 20 metres) away, scientists have found.
It was previously thought the ancient human ancestors did not have the necessary technology or skill to create refined weapons for long-range use.
Research combined a fragment of a surviving spear with javelin throwing athletes and found the projectiles were more efficient than previously thought.
E x p e r t s had assumed Neanderthals used their crude wooden spears for stabbing and lunging instead of throwing.
The new study paints a very different picture of their abilities and reveals the so-called 'Schoningen' spears were aerodynamic missiles used to kill prehistoric prey.
Using accurate replicas of Neanderthal spears dating back 300,000 years, the javelin throwers managed to hit a target up to 65 feet (20 metres) away.
This was double the distance scientists had believed the 'Schoningen' spears could be thrown.
In addition, the spears slammed into the target with sufficient force to kill prey.
Lead researcher Dr Annemieke Milks, from University College London's Institute of Archaeology, said: 'This study is important because it adds to a growing body of evidence that Neanderthals were technologically savvy and had the ability to hunt big game through a variety of hunting strategies, not just risky close encounters.
' It contributes to revised views of Neanderthals as our clever and capable cousins.'
Neanderthals vanished from Europe around 40,000 years ago after co-existing with the ancestors of modern humans for several millennia. It used to be thought that they were simply too stupid to compete with modern humans.
However recent finds have shown that Neanderthals were sophisticated tool and weapon makers.
The Schoningen spears, the oldest weapons in the archaeological record, are a set of 10 wooden throwing spears discovered in Germany in the
1990s
For the study, two replicas were crafted f rom Norwegian spruce trees, one weighing 760 grams
( 1.67lb) and the other 800 grams
(1.76lb).
Their weight had previously led scientists to believe they could not be thrown with much speed.
But the six javelin athletes recruited for the experiment were able to hurl the spears accurately over long distances with deadly force.
Co- author Dr
Matt Pope, also from University College London, said: ' The emer- gence of weaponry, technology designed to kill, is a critical but poorly established threshold in human evolution.
'We have forever relied on tools and have extended our capabilities through technical innovation.
' Understanding when we first developed the capabilities to kill at distance is therefore a dark, but important moment in our story.'
The research is published in the journal Scientific Reports.