The famous Schöningen spears, discovered in Germany in 1994, have been re-evaluated using advanced dating techniques. A recent study published in May 2025 revises their age to approximately 200,000 years old. This new dating suggests Neanderthals, not Homo heidelbergensis as previously believed, crafted and used these sophisticated hunting tools.
The spears, made of spruce and pine, were found alongside the remains of over 50 horses in a former littoral zone. The Schöningen site provides crucial insights into Neanderthal hunting strategies, social structures, and cognitive abilities. The coordinated hunting of large prey implies complex communication and cooperation among Neanderthals.
Researchers, led by Kirsty Penkman from the University of York, employed amino acid geochronology on fossilized snail shells found in the same sediment layer as the spears. This method offers a more precise dating of the site compared to previous estimates based on underlying sediment layers. The findings, placing the spears in the Middle Paleolithic era, highlight a significant transition in Neanderthal behavior towards group-based hunting and social cooperation.