The WEIRD HISTORY Of Neanderthals Hunting Hippos and Elephants

At the site in north Germany, dating to the last interglacial, a skeleton of Straight tusk elephant was found with a spear made of yew wood between its ribs. But this isn't the only time that African elephants and Hippos migrated into Europe. During another interglacial around 330,000 years ago, their fossilized bones are also found alongside early Neanderthal stone tools.

The spears recovered from the Schöningen site in Lower Saxony, dating back more than 300,000 years, represent one of the most astonishing technological achievements of early humans. Far from being crude wooden sticks, these eight spears were carefully crafted projectiles—true throwing weapons, not just simple stabbing tools. Carved from Norway Spruce, a wood chosen for its dense, elastic fibers formed by slow growth in high elevations, the spears were tapered, sanded, and in some cases fire-hardened at the tip.