Researched
Hunting Spears
Wooden throwing spears from Schöningen show planned, cooperative big-game hunting long before modern humans.
Open in the interactive tree →Eight spears found at Schöningen in Germany were dated to roughly 300,000 years ago (older estimates say 400,000, a 2025 study about 200,000) and were made by archaic humans. They show forward planning, careful woodworking and group hunting.
Prerequisites
- Stone Tools~3.3 million years ago
Unlocks
- Bow and Arrow~60,000 years ago
Not fully verified: The age of the Schöningen spears has been revised several times (about 400,000 to 200,000 years).
Sources
More in Foundations of Civilization · Prehistory
- Stone Tools~3.3 million years ago
- Mastering Fire~1.8 million-400,000 years ago
- Spoken Languageat least ~135,000 years ago?
- Clothing & the Sewing Needle~120,000-40,000 years ago
- Burial & Religion~100,000 years ago
- Art & Symbols~73,000 years ago
- Bow and Arrow~60,000 years ago
- Cordage & Weaving~30,000 years ago