In the Obłazowa Cave in southern Poland, researchers found a unique artifact: a curved boomerang carved from a mammoth tusk. New analysis has shown that it is between 42,000 and 39,000 years old, making it the oldest known boomerang in Europe and possibly the world.
The artifact was found in the 1980s, but only recently have scientists from the Jagiellonian University, using modern dating methods, confirmed its exceptional age. The curved shape, dimensions, and cross-section of the artifact correspond to hunting boomerangs of Australian Aborigines, although this boomerang likely did not return to the thrower and was used solely to hit a target.
The boomerang was found along with a phalanx of a modern human (Homo sapiens), pendants made from fox canines, and flint blades covered in red ochre. This indicates that the findings belong to the Aurignacian culture of the Upper Paleolithic. Radiocarbon dating of animal bones from the same layer confirmed an age of over 41,000 years.
According to archaeologist Pavel Valde-Novak, the boomerang testifies to the high level of technical and cognitive skills of early Homo sapiens. He emphasizes that the artifact has become one of the most important pieces of evidence for the development of complex hunting technologies long before the first civilizations.
This discovery significantly expands our understanding of early humans in Europe, showing that they used advanced tools and possibly practiced complex forms of hunting organization and daily life.