This intricately crafted harpoon tip is 35,000 years old
Source: sott.net
A harpoon tip dating to 35,000 years ago has been discovered on Timor, an island 250 miles northeast of Darwin, Australia. The ancient artifact, which was hewn from bone, is notable for its design, the complexity of which suggests humans in the region manufactured sophisticated weaponry earlier than previously believed.
In the January 15th issue of the Journal of Human Evolution, researchers led by Australian National University archaeologist Sue O’Connor propose that the ancient inhabitants of Timor used harpoons to hunt large fish from boats. The notion that our ancestors were equipped to make meals of ocean animals 35,000 years ago is not, in itself, surprising; in 2011, another team led by O’Connor reported the discovery of a shelter in East Timor harboring the remains of pelagic and other fish species dating to 42,000 years ago - compelling evidence that early modern humans in the region successfully practiced deep-sea fishing.
Presented alongside the pelagic-fish-find was the world’s earliest definitive evidence for fishhook manufacture - an unmistakably J-shaped crook of carved seashell, dated to between 23,000 and 16,000 years ago. "Capturing pelagic fish such as tuna requires high levels of planning and complex maritime technology," concluded the researchers at the time.
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