Paleolithic Long-Range Weapons Identified in Belgium

News November 8, 2023

Belgium Flint Points
SHARE:

Belgium Flint PointsLIÈGE, BELGIUM—According to a statement released by the University of Liège, spear throwers dated to 31,000 years ago have been identified at the archaeological site of Maisières-Canal, which is located on the banks of the Haine River in southern Belgium. The dating of the artifacts pushes back the use of such long-distance hunting weapons, which can propel darts up to 260 feet, by some 10,000 years. To determine how the stone points from the site were used, researchers from TraceoLab and the University of Liège fired replicas of Paleolithic projectiles with spears, bows, and spear throwers, and then compared the resulting marks on the replica points with marks on actual Paleolithic projectiles. Noora Taipale of TraceoLab explained that the marks made by the spear throwers on the replica projectiles were a close match to the marks found on the artifacts from Maisières-Canal. The researchers plan to examine additional artifacts to see if they can find even older examples of long-range weaponry. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Scientific Reports. For more on ancient weaponry, go to "Weapons of the Ancient World."

  • Features September/October 2023

    Ukraine's Lost Capital

    In 1708, Peter the Great destroyed Baturyn, a bastion of Cossack independence and culture

    Read Article
  • Letter from Vesuvius September/October 2023

    Digging on the Dark Side of the Volcano

    Survivors of the infamous disaster rebuilt their lives on the ashes of the A.D. 79 eruption

    Read Article
    (Courtesy Girolamo Ferdinando De Simone)
  • Artifacts September/October 2023

    Padlock

    Read Article
    (Courtesy James Davidson)
  • Digs & Discoveries September/October 2023

    Nose to Tail

    Read Article