A rare mammoth fang boomerang found in a cave in Poland dates back 40,000 years. Recent research identifies it as Europe’s earliest example of this intricate tool, potentially the oldest boomerang worldwide.
“The ivory artifacts possess characteristics similar to the boomerangs utilized by Aboriginal peoples in Queensland today,” stated Paweł Valde-Nowak, an archaeologist at the University of Jagielonia in Krakow, Poland, in an email to Live Science. “Its curved shape, flat convex surface, and measurements align with the non-returning boomerangs from Queensland,” he added.
New research published on Wednesday (June 25) in PLOS 1 indicates that such curved tools originated in Europe much earlier than previously thought.
The crescent-shaped object, about 28 inches (72 cm) in length, was initially discovered 40 years ago in the Obwazwa Caves in southern Poland, alongside pendants made of human bones and fox tusks, all stained with red ochre, and nearby stone blade tools. Yellow. Valde-Nowak and colleagues first published their findings in Nature in 1987, suggesting that the cave was intermittently occupied by Neanderthals and early humans from the middle to upper Paleolithic period (300,000 to 12,000 years ago).
The Upper Paleolithic period (50,000-12,000 years ago) marked a pivotal phase in human history, during which new tools, Cave Art, and personal adornments were created. Valde-Nowak noted a distinct difference between the ochre-covered artifacts found at this site and prior discoveries.
“This is compelling evidence of behaviors previously unknown to us, showcasing early practices of Homo sapiens compared to the layers left by Neanderthals, in stark contrast to all artifacts we uncovered in the deeper cultural strata of Obwazwa,” Valde-Nowak remarked.
Related: This man was killed 800 years ago by the brutal boomerang throw.
To clarify the timeline associated with the Obwazwa Caves, in 1996, researchers conducted a Carbon-14 analysis of organic remnants found in the cave, including the ivory boomerang. However, the dating indicated that the boomerang was “unexpectedly young” at 18,000 years, which led the researchers to suggest that the results might have been skewed by contamination from adhesives and preservation agents, as discussed in their recent study.
Aboriginal boomerangs and various other tools trace back at least 20,000 years, according to the Australian National Museum. These tools serve multiple purposes, often employed for hunting, combat, and gathering. However, variations of thrown sticks have appeared globally, including primitive examples from northern Germany dating back 300,000 years.
The researchers performed new analyses involving DNA and radiocarbon dating of human phalanxes from the same layer as the boomerang, confirming their origin from modern humans who lived at least 31,000 years ago. They also examined the bones from 12 animals found not directly linked to the boomerang to “prevent damaging this highly significant artifact.”
All animal remains located in the same layer as the boomerang date back approximately 41,500 years. Considering the chronological data derived from these radiocarbon results and the stratigraphic positions of bones, the researchers developed a statistical model for the dating of the boomerangs.
“The insights gathered from the boomerangs unearthed at the Obwazwa site have offered transformative perspectives on this era,” the researchers stated, potentially marking the boomerang as one of the oldest examples in Europe and possibly the world, highlighting both the technical craftsmanship and cognitive advancements of Homo sapiens in crafting these sophisticated tools.
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Source: www.livescience.com