Archaeologists Discover The World's Oldest Arrows
- Editor OGN Daily
- 14 hours ago
- 2 min read
The collection of 80,000-year-old Uzbek stones may rewrite human history.
Researchers working at the Obi-Rakhmat site in northeastern Uzbekistan say a cache of tiny stone points, dated about 80,000 years ago, may represent the earliest known arrowheads. As described in a study, the “micropoints” are so narrow that the archaeologists argue they would only have fit onto slender, arrow-like shafts and bear impact damage consistent with use as arrow tips.
If confirmed, the find would push the origin of bow-and-arrow technology back by roughly 6,000 years beyond the approximately 74,000-year-old examples from Ethiopia. However, “the bows themselves and the arrow shafts have not been preserved, so some skepticism from colleagues is expected,” says one of the lead researchers.
The artifacts’ makers are not yet known. Central Asia was Neanderthal territory when the oldest of these points was made, but the study notes that no definitively known Neanderthal arrowheads exist, and the authors suggest homo sapiens were the more likely makers.
“The appearance of the Obi-Rakhmat population in Central Asia coincides with the presumed time of the dispersal of anatomically modern humans in Eurasia.” Still, given who lived in the region then, a Neanderthal origin cannot yet be ruled out.
Outside experts say the claim, if upheld, would broaden the map and timeline for complex hunting technology. Christian Tryon, a Paleolithic archaeologist at the University of Connecticut who was not involved in the work, told Live Science the findings imply “complicated early weapons and hunting technologies were more geographically widespread at an earlier date than previously supposed,” adding, “As usual, we consistently underestimate the abilities of our ancestors.”