ISES   20394
INSTITUTO SUPERIOR DE ESTUDIOS SOCIALES
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
The antiquity of bow-and-arrow technology: evidence from Middle Stone Age layers at Sibudu Cave
Autor/es:
BRADFIELD, J.; WADLEY, L; BACKWELL, L.; JASHASHVILI, T.; CARLSON, K.J.; D'ERRICO, F.
Revista:
ANTIQUITY
Editorial:
Antiquity Publications Ltd
Referencias:
Año: 2018
ISSN:
0003-598X
Resumen:
The bowand arrowis thought to be a unique development of our species, signalling higherlevel cognitive functioning. How this technology originated and how we identify archaeological evidence for it are subjects of ongoing debate. Recent analysis of the putative bone arrow point from Sibudu Cave in South Africa, dated to 61.7±1.5kya, has provided important new insights. High-resolution CT scanning revealed heat and impactdamage in both the Sibudu point and in experimentally produced arrow points. Thesefeatures suggest that the Sibudu point was first used as an arrowhead for hunting, andafterwards was deposited in a hearth. Our results support the claim that bone weapon tips were used in South African hunting long before the Eurasian Upper Palaeolithic.