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Revised age for Schöningen hunting spears indicates intensification of Neanderthal cooperative behavior around 200,000 years ago

Hutson, Jarod M. ; Bittmann, Felix ; Fischer, Peter ; García-Moreno, Alejandro ; Gaudzinski-Windheuser, Sabine ; Nelson, Ellie ; Ortiz, José E. ; Penkman, Kirsty E.H. ; Perić, Zoran M. LU and Richter, Daniel , et al. (2025) In Science Advances 11(19).
Abstract

The Schöningen 13II-4 archaeological site in Germany holds title to the most complete Paleolithic wooden hunting spears ever discovered, yet its age has never been properly settled. Initial estimates placed the site at around 400,000 years; this age was later revised to roughly 300,000 years. Here, we report age estimates for the “Spear Horizon” based on amino acid geochronology of fossils obtained directly from the find-bearing deposits. Together with a reassessment of regional Middle Pleistocene chronostratigraphy, these data place the Schöningen spears at ~200,000 years. This revised age positions the Spear Horizon alongside other sites that collectively record a shift toward communal hunting strategies. The Schöningen archaeological... (More)

The Schöningen 13II-4 archaeological site in Germany holds title to the most complete Paleolithic wooden hunting spears ever discovered, yet its age has never been properly settled. Initial estimates placed the site at around 400,000 years; this age was later revised to roughly 300,000 years. Here, we report age estimates for the “Spear Horizon” based on amino acid geochronology of fossils obtained directly from the find-bearing deposits. Together with a reassessment of regional Middle Pleistocene chronostratigraphy, these data place the Schöningen spears at ~200,000 years. This revised age positions the Spear Horizon alongside other sites that collectively record a shift toward communal hunting strategies. The Schöningen archaeological record exemplifies this behavioral transformation that arose within the increasingly complex social environments of Middle Paleolithic Neanderthals.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Science Advances
volume
11
issue
19
article number
eadv0752
publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
external identifiers
  • pmid:40344053
  • scopus:105005029725
ISSN
2375-2548
DOI
10.1126/sciadv.adv0752
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
64dea5aa-a3d9-436f-89b1-7e0ad68807e9
date added to LUP
2025-08-01 11:51:39
date last changed
2025-08-29 14:05:23
@article{64dea5aa-a3d9-436f-89b1-7e0ad68807e9,
  abstract     = {{<p>The Schöningen 13II-4 archaeological site in Germany holds title to the most complete Paleolithic wooden hunting spears ever discovered, yet its age has never been properly settled. Initial estimates placed the site at around 400,000 years; this age was later revised to roughly 300,000 years. Here, we report age estimates for the “Spear Horizon” based on amino acid geochronology of fossils obtained directly from the find-bearing deposits. Together with a reassessment of regional Middle Pleistocene chronostratigraphy, these data place the Schöningen spears at ~200,000 years. This revised age positions the Spear Horizon alongside other sites that collectively record a shift toward communal hunting strategies. The Schöningen archaeological record exemplifies this behavioral transformation that arose within the increasingly complex social environments of Middle Paleolithic Neanderthals.</p>}},
  author       = {{Hutson, Jarod M. and Bittmann, Felix and Fischer, Peter and García-Moreno, Alejandro and Gaudzinski-Windheuser, Sabine and Nelson, Ellie and Ortiz, José E. and Penkman, Kirsty E.H. and Perić, Zoran M. and Richter, Daniel and Torres, Trinidad and Turner, Elaine and Villaluenga, Aritza and White, Dustin and Jöris, Olaf}},
  issn         = {{2375-2548}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{19}},
  publisher    = {{American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)}},
  series       = {{Science Advances}},
  title        = {{Revised age for Schöningen hunting spears indicates intensification of Neanderthal cooperative behavior around 200,000 years ago}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adv0752}},
  doi          = {{10.1126/sciadv.adv0752}},
  volume       = {{11}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}