Scientists have found evidence in a cave in southern France that homo sapiens in Europe used bows and arrows as early as 54,000 years ago. That is thousands of years earlier than previously believed.
The new discovery was made in the Grotte Mandrin, a cave on the Rhone River. Neanderthals and Homo sapiens lived here alternately.
The cave was first explored in 1990 and contains archaeological remains in layers of soil that are more than 80,000 years old. Small arrowheads were found in a layer of 45,000 years old.
The research was published Wednesday in the scientific journal Science Advances. The results show that the use of bows and arrows in Europe occurred some 40,000 years earlier than previously thought.
Archery was already popular in Africa about 70,000 years ago. The formerly oldest evidence of archery in Europe went back no further than some 12,000 years ago.
Researchers shot counterfeit arrowheads
Researchers recreated the arrowheads and shot them with a replica bow. Other methods were ineffective because the arrowheads were too small and light, says co-author Laure Metz of Aix-Marseille University. “We had to use this kind of propulsion,” says Metz. “The only way that went was with a bow.”
According to Metz, the cave dwellers hunted horses, bison and deer. Bones of these animals were also found in the cave.
