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Amino Acid Dating Revises Age of Schöningen Spears, Illuminating Neanderthal Hunting Tactics
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Lower Saxony, Germany – Groundbreaking research using amino acid geochronology (AAG) has redated the famed Schöningen ‘Spear Horizon,’ revealing the world’s oldest wooden hunting weapons to be approximately 200,000 years old. This new dating, significantly younger than previous estimates, provides critical insights into Neanderthal hunting strategies during the Middle Paleolithic period.
The Schöningen Spear Discovery
Discovered between 1992 and 2008, the Schöningen site in Landkreis Helmstedt, Germany, boasts an extraordinary collection of nine spears, one lance, and six double-pointed sticks. These artifacts were found alongside 1,500 flint tools and the butchered remains of over 50 horses, suggesting repeated, triumphant hunting expeditions along the shoreline of an ancient lake.
Initial dating efforts placed the site at 400,000 years old, later revised to around 300,000 years ago using thermoluminescence (TL) dating on heated flint. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) confirmed a similar maximum age. Though, these methods relied on materials found in layers below the spear horizon, providing only a maximum possible age.
Did You Know? The Schöningen spears represent the best-preserved and oldest collection of prehistoric hunting weapons ever discovered.
Amino Acid Geochronology Unlocks New Timeline
To obtain a more precise date directly from the spear layers,researchers from Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie in Germany turned to amino acid geochronology (AAG). They analyzed four opercula (snail shell ‘doors’) from *Bithynia tentaculata*, a freshwater snail, extracted from nearly 50 sediment blocks preserved from the original excavations.
AAG is based on the principle that proteins in fossils break down over time in a predictable manner. Amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, exist in two mirror-image forms: left-handed (L) and right-handed (D). While an organism is alive, its proteins consist entirely of L-amino acids. After death, a process called racemization converts L-amino acids to D-amino acids until equilibrium is reached. By measuring the ratio of D-to-L amino acids, scientists can estimate the age of the sample.
Pro Tip: AAG is most effective in closed systems, like the intra-crystalline fraction of opercula, where contamination is minimized.
Revised Dating and its Implications
The AAG results revealed that the Schöningen Spear Horizon dates to approximately 200,000 years ago.This younger age places the site firmly within the Middle Paleolithic period, a time associated with Neanderthals. The findings are consistent with other Middle Paleolithic sites where Neanderthals strategically hunted specific prey, such as aurochs in france and rhinoceros in other parts of Germany and Poland.
This revised dating suggests that Neanderthals, rather than earlier hominins like *Homo heidelbergensis*, were the creators of these sophisticated hunting tools. The site’s significance remains undiminished, highlighting the collaborative and group-minded hunting strategies employed by Neanderthals. The research was published in *Science Advances* (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adv0752).
Comparative Timeline of Hominin Species
| Hominin Species | Approximate Time Range | Key Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| *homo heidelbergensis* | 700,000 – 300,000 years ago | Possible ancestor of Neanderthals and *Homo sapiens*,advanced tool use |
| Neanderthals | 400,000 – 40,000 years ago | Skilled hunters,adapted to cold climates,complex social structures |
| *Homo sapiens* | 300,000 years ago – Present | Modern humans,advanced cognitive abilities,global distribution |
How does this discovery change our understanding of Neanderthal capabilities? What other dating techniques coudl further refine our understanding of prehistoric sites?
evergreen Insights: The Enduring Significance of Schöningen
The Schöningen spears offer a unique window into the technological and social capabilities of early hominins. The site’s remarkable preservation, combined with advanced dating techniques, continues to provide invaluable data for understanding human evolution and the development of hunting strategies. The shift from earlier hominins to Neanderthals as the likely creators of these tools highlights the ongoing refinement of our understanding of prehistoric cultures.
FAQ About Amino Acid Geochronology and the schöningen Spears
- What is amino acid geochronology (AAG)?
- Amino acid geochronology (AAG) is a dating technique used to estimate the age of fossils by measuring the time-dependent breakdown of proteins within them. It relies on the racemization process, where left-handed amino acids convert to their right-handed counterparts after an organism’s death.
- How does amino acid geochronology work?
- AAG measures the ratio of D-to-L amino acids in a sample. Since the rate of racemization is predictable, the D/L ratio indicates the age of the fossil. Certain amino acids, like aspartic acid, glutamic acid, alanine, and valine, are particularly useful for dating purposes in closed systems like snail opercula.
- What is the Schöningen Spear Horizon?
- The Schöningen Spear Horizon is an archaeological site in Lower Saxony, Germany, known for its collection of wooden hunting weapons, including spears and throwing sticks, discovered alongside butchered remains of over 50 horses. It represents one of the oldest known examples of wooden hunting technology.
- Why was amino acid geochronology used to redate the Schöningen spears?
- Previous dating methods, such as thermoluminescence (TL) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), provided maximum dates based on materials found below the spear layer. AAG was applied directly to snail shells (opercula) extracted from the spear layers to obtain a more accurate age estimate for the artifacts themselves.
- What did amino acid geochronology reveal about the age of the Schöningen spears?
- AAG revealed that the Schöningen Spear Horizon dates to approximately 200,000 years ago, significantly younger than the previously estimated 300,000 to 400,000 years. This revised dating places the site within the Middle Paleolithic period, more consistent with other Neanderthal hunting sites.
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