The oldest boomerang in Europe – And perhaps of the world – dates back to over 42,000 years ago. Carved by a mammoth zanna and 70 cm long, it was found in the Polish cave of Oblazowa. A new study coordinated by the University of Bologna in this regard reveals a surprising level of cognitive skill and technical design already in the initial stages of the presence of Homo Sapiens in Europe.
The discovery of the boomerang in the cave of Obłazowa
In the cave of Obłazowa (Southern Poland) in 1986, archaeologists found a Recurgent throwing stick obtained from a mammoth zanna in almost perfect condition. Obłazowa cave is an archaeological context that has allowed the discovery of many well -preserved artifacts datable Between the late average Paleolithic and the initial part of the upper Paleolithica very long chronological range that goes from 50,000 to 40,000 years ago. The instrument was within a layer that was called “Strat VIII“. Long 72 cmthe boomerang presents traces of processing rather advanced.
What struck the scholars immediately was theabsence In this layer of stone tools of Gravettian period (one of the phases into which the superior Paleolithic is divided into Europe, between 33,000 and 22,000 years agodeductible from certain types of stone tool processing), a phase of great technical development of Homo sapiens. Such a tool technologically complex To be achieved as a curved boomerang would have been more easily associated with this period.
To solve the problem of datingarchaeologists have chosen to use the technique of radiocarbon. However, in order not to damage the ivory artifact, it was chosen not to withdraw the sample to be analyzed by the boomerang itself, but by animal and human remains found inside the same layer in a narrow association with the find. It was fourteen championsincluding a left phalanx of a hand of a Homo sapiens and different bone fragments of animal origin, also subjected to DNA analysisof the isotopes, infraredAnd mass spectrometry.
There calibrated dating of layer VIII has provided an estimate that goes From 42,290 to 39,280 years agoframing the archaeological deposit in the period said Aurignazianoimmediately preceding the Gravettiano. The Aurignaziano is usually dated Between 42,000 and 28,000 years agoreporting as the boomerang be much older of what was imagined by the research team. It is associated with this period diffusion in Europe of the first generations of Homo sapiens coming from the Near East, intended in the millennia following become the only human group in our continent, following theextinction Of Homo neanderthalensiswith which the sapiens they delighted for about 10,000 years.
The scrupulous use of the radiocarbon method for the study of the Obłazowa boomerang has allowed to demonstrate the advanced technological skills in the realization of tools by the very first groups of our species that arrived in Europe more than 40,000 years ago.
According to the data provided by the Radiocarbon, the throwing stick found in the Obłazowa cave It would be the weapon of this oldest type in the world. The oldest Australian specimens are datable to About 12,000 years agoalthough some representations of rock art demonstrate their use on the continent At least 20,000 years ago.
The Boomerang is not (only) Australian
Although the boomerang is usually associated with the culture of Australian Aboriginesthis tool was transversely widespread at many ancient European and African communities. As for weapons of this type it would be more correct to use the term “punching stick“, leaving the word” boomerang “to indicate the Australian specimens or at least those from recurve.
The natives of the Australian continent, in fact, they perfected the technology of this particular launch weapon, making it arelevant expression of one’s cultureand the same word “boomerang” comes from one of the Aboriginal languages. The use of similar tools for the hunting to birds or small animals, however, he is attested in many well -known contexts of the old world, both at the Bands of hunter-gathers of the Paleolithic both in theAncient Egypt.
There dating of a curved throwing stick in mammoth ivory found inside A cave in Poland – performed by an international and multidisciplinary research group coordinated by Sahra Talamo of the University of Bologna But could do it review What we thought we knew about the technological skills of the first European sapiens.
