Archaeologists in north-eastern Uzbekistan have unearthed what are possibly the world’s earliest arrowheads from the Obi-Rakhmat rock shelter. The small triangular tools, or “micropoints,” date to around 80,000 years ago and, according to a study published in PLOS One, were likely tips for arrows. If confirmed, this would push the history of bow-and-arrow technology back by perhaps 6,000 years beyond the ~74,000-year-old examples previously found in Ethiopia.
The points were overlooked initially, as they were usually fractured. Recent analysis, however, showed that the points were too narrow to be used as knives or spears but were perfectly suited to slender shafts, and the points have breakage patterns consistent with high-velocity impact. Researchers argue that this kind of damage is best explained by their use as arrowheads.
The discovery raises the issue of who crafted the points. Neanderthals inhabited Central Asia at this time. No recorded Neanderthal arrowheads have been found, but similar tools appear in later Homo sapiens contexts. Some scientists therefore suggest that the points were created by early modern humans, but a Neanderthal origin cannot be excluded.
In 2003, archaeologists found fragments of the skull and teeth of a child whose features were partly Neanderthal in character but also showed Homo sapiens traits. This has led to speculation that hybrids were among the population, or more probably that the site was a zone of contact between different groups.
The micropoint style also provides clues. Rather than being built to withstand heavy impact, they seem to have been made to pierce prey and allow the shaft to penetrate—something seen later in modern human hunting methods. The same style of arrowheads has been found in France at Grotte Mandrin, where early Homo sapiens employed bows to hunt approximately 54,000 years ago.
The Uzbek finds highlight the nuances of human spread across Eurasia. The region lies along the routes through which populations migrated from Africa, and contacts between Neanderthals, modern humans, and conceivably Denisovans may have facilitated genetic and cultural exchanges.
Researchers involved in the study noted that there is still more to be done. They plan to explore older sites in Central Asia and look for connections with Levantine communities, where early modern humans existed at the beginning of their spread in Eurasia. Direct evidence, such as arrows stuck in prey at hunting sites, would provide the strongest evidence of their use.
For the moment, at least, the 80,000-year-old Obi-Rakhmat tools indicate that the history of projectile technology—and the humans who created it—is older and more complex than previously thought.
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