Did ancient humans really throw spears at mammoths? | 101 in 101

If you’ve ever watched a movie or played a video game about ancient humans, you’ve likely seen them represented as muscular hunters who hurl spears to take down charging mammoths. Decades of popular media have glorified these violent depictions of how human ancestors lived.

But these long-held tropes don’t hold up against basic physics or oral histories from around the globe. Now, Berkeley archaeologists are setting the record straight.

In a new study, Jun Sunseri, an associate professor in UC Berkeley’s department of anthropology, applied mechanical engineering and testing, ethnographic archives, and community insights to understand how ancient humans survived alongside multi-ton predators.

“Our research shows that the pike is more effective and, at least mathematically, makes a lot more sense as a defensive system than a thrust or thrown spear,” Sunseri explains. Bracing a planted pike against the earth leverages the animal’s own weight and momentum — creating an accessible technology that allows anyone in the community to defend their family.

For the full story, visit: https://news.berkeley.edu/2026/10/15/watch-did-ancient-humans-really-throw-spears-at-mammoths-a-berkeley-archaeologist-says-no/

By Elenita Makani O’Malley, Charlotte Buchen Khadra & Jason Pohl

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