When Did Europeans Begin Hunting With Bows and Arrows?

TÜBINGEN, GERMANY—According to a SciNews report, modern humans may have hunted with bows and arrows in the early Upper Paleolithic, between 40,000 and 35,000 years ago. It had been previously thought that people living in Europe at this time hunted with thrusting spears at close range, only advancing to spear-throwers some 20,000 years ago, and then to bows and arrows about 12,000 years ago, based upon artifacts recovered from Paleolithic sites. Researchers led by Keiko Kitagawa of the University of Tübingen experimented with attaching replica stone, antler, and bone points to shafts and launching them as arrows shot from a bow, spears, and darts. The scientists then compared the wear patterns on the experimental projectile points with the wear found on prehistoric points. The results of these tests suggest that modern humans may have been using different weapons simultaneously, as they adapted to different environments and types of prey. “Our study in part demonstrates the complex nature of reconstruction projectile technology, which is often created with perishable materials,” the researchers explained. Read the original scholarly article about this research in iScience. To read about the development of hunting weaponry, go to "Weapons of the Ancient World: Hunting Equipment."