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The Schöningen Spears are eight wooden throwing spears from the Palaeolithic Age, that were found under the management of Dr. Hartmut Thieme from the Lower Saxony State Service for Cultural Heritage (NLD) between 1994 and 1998 in the open-cast lignite mine, Schöningen, county Helmstedt, Germany, together with approximately 16,000 animal bones. More than 300,000 years old,〔Hartmut Thieme, Reinhard Maier (Hrsg.): ''Archäologische Ausgrabungen im Braunkohlentagebau Schöningen.'' Landkreis Helmstedt, Hannover 1995.〕〔Hartmut Thieme: ''Die ältesten Speere der Welt – Fundplätze der frühen Altsteinzeit im Tagebau Schöningen.'' In: ''Archäologisches Nachrichtenblatt'' 10, 2005, S. 409-417.〕〔Michael Baales, Olaf Jöris: ''Zur Altersstellung der Schöninger Speere.'' In: J. Burdukiewicz u. a. (Hrsg.): ''Erkenntnisjäger. Kultur und Umwelt des frühen Menschen.'' Veröffentlichungen des Landesamtes für Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt 57, 2003 (Festschrift Dietrich Mania), S. 281-288.〕〔O. Jöris: ''Aus einer anderen Welt – Europa zur Zeit des Neandertalers''. In: N. J. Conard u. a. (Hrsg.): ''Vom Neandertaler zum modernen Menschen''. Ausstellungskatalog Blaubeuren 2005, S. 47-70.〕 they are the oldest completely preserved hunting weapons in the world and they are regarded as the first evidence of the active hunt by ''Homo heidelbergensis''. These discoveries have permanently changed the picture of the cultural and social development of early humans. == Discovery and location == The site of the finds (Schöningen 13/II sedimentary sequence 4) is one of 13 Palaeolithic places of discovery in the open-cast lignite mine - working area south - that was excavated in the course of the prospection of the quaternary surface layer from 1992 to 2009. The 60m x 50m excavation base that was excluded from coal mining represents a small segment of a former littoral zone that has been visited over millennia between the Elster- and Saale ice age by humans and animals alike. The pedestal displays five massive layered sediment packages that were created by varying levels of the lake and silting up processes. Thanks to the quick, airtight covering of the archaeological layers by mud, the organic materials are exceptionally well preserved. In the sequence of the sedimentary layers, climate changes can be read with a high resolution - from a warm, dry phase to airy deciduous forests to tundra. The spears themselves are from an approximately 10 metre wide and 50 metre long strip, parallel to the former lake shore in the sedimentary layer four, the late Holstein-interglacial. The archaeological layers beneath have only been partially excavated and have been an objective of a research excavation by the DFG (German Research Association) since 2010. Together with the spears some stone artefacts, chips as well as over 10,000 animal bones were found, amongst them 90% horse bones, followed by red deer and european bison.〔Voormolen B. 2008: Ancient Hunters, Modern Butcher Schöningen 13II -4, a kill-butchery site dating from the northwest European Lower Palaeolithic. Leiden〕 The horse bones come from Equus mosbachensis and are indicative of at least 20 individuals. They show numerous cut marks made by stone tools, but only a few bite marks made by animals. The site is interpreted by the excavator Harald Thieme as testimony of a hunting event as well as the following cutting up and preparation of the kill. According to his scenario, the thick reeds at the lake shore gave the hunters cover, from where the horses, trapped between the hunters and the lake, were culled with accurate spear throws. Because there are bones of young animals amongst the horse bones, he concludes that the hunt took place in autumn.〔Musil R. 2007: Die Pferde von Schöningen: Skelettreste einer ganzen Wildpferdherde in: Thieme H. (ed.) Die Schöninger Speere – Mensch und Jagd vor 400 000 Jahren. pp. 136-140, Konrad Theiss Verlag, Stuttgart, ISBN 3-89646-040-4〕 Furthermore he sees evidence of ritualistic activity, because the spears were left behind.〔Thieme H. 2007. Warum ließen die Jäger die Speere zurück? in: Thieme H. (ed.) 2007: Die Schöninger Speere – Mensch und Jagd vor 400 000 Jahren. pp. 188-190 Konrad Theiss Verlag, Stuttgart, ISBN 3-89646-040-4〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Schöningen Spears」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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