Archaeologist Marie Soressi joins the discussion about the early use of bow-and-arrow technology in Europe
Nature News reported on the use of bow-and-arrow for hunting based on the research made on small points found in a 54,000-year-old cave site in southern France.
A conclusion that raises an important question
A recently published paper by Laure Metz et al. suggests that Homo sapiens which occupied the Grotte Mandrin rock shelter in the Rhône Valley hunted with bows and arrows. However, that led to the question of why there is no evidence that the Neanderthals occupying the cave before and after them, used these types of weapons.
Marie Soressi states her opinion
As an expert in the diversity of human behavior and the evolution of human biology during the late Pleistocene, Marie Soressi was interviewed by Ewen Callaway to express her opinion on the subject. Professor Soressi agrees that there is no evidence so far, but thinks that future research will reveal if other Neanderthal sites perhaps point to the contrary. She doubts that they were not aware of these weapons and states: “I would find it very strange if Neanderthals were so conservative that they would not copy mechanically propelled weapons used by other humans.”
More information is available in the full news article.