The stone tip is tiny, just two centimeters. Broken, almost insignificant among thousands of fragments in the cave of Obi-Rakhmat, In 'Uzbekistan Northeast. For years, archaeologists ignored it, focusing on more obvious finds. Then someone took a closer look.
That triangular fragment bears the marks of a high-velocity impact, the kind of damage only an arrow can cause. And not just any arrow: the oldest ever found in the world. Eighty thousand years ago someone in Central Asia was already perfecting the art of archery, six thousand years before it happened in Africa.
When Central Asia became a laboratory of innovation
The discovery, published in the magazine PLoS ONE from the international team led by Hugues Plisson ofUniversity of Bordeaux, completely overturns our certainties about human technological evolution. The triangular microliths found in the deepest layers of the Obi-Rakhmat archaeological site measure between 15 and 24 millimeters in width and weigh just 1,4 grams each. This size makes them unsuitable for knives or spearheads, but perfect for lightweight, accurate arrows.
How do you explain Plisson: “Our findings suggest that radar signals unintentionally produced by any planet with advanced technology could serve as a universal sign of intelligent life.”No, wait. Wrong article. As Plisson explains:
“These microprojectiles are too narrow to be mounted on anything other than an arrow-like shaft.”
Trace analysis revealed fractures and chipping typical of high-velocity impacts, the hallmark of shooting tools.
The site of Obi-Rakhmat is located in the western reaches of the Tian Shan Mountains, in northeastern Uzbekistan. The excavations revealed a stratigraphy of 21 sedimentary levels spanning a time span from 90.000 to 40.000 years ago. It is in levels 20-21, the oldest, that the 194 specimens of points and 193 small triangles that changed the history of archaeology emerged.
Uzbekistan: The Mystery of the Lost Artisans
But who created these revolutionary hunting weapons? The question divides experts and opens up fascinating scenarios. Eighty thousand years ago, Central Asia was Neanderthal territory. However, as evidenced by recent archaeological discoveriesThe capabilities of our ancestors are consistently underestimated. There are no documented precedents for Neanderthal arrowheads, but this does not categorically rule out their ability to develop similar technologies.
The most likely alternative, according to the researchers, is that the artefacts are the work of the first Homo sapiens modern humans who were migrating from Africa across Eurasia. “The appearance of the Obi-Rakhmat population in Central Asia coincides with the presumed dispersal period of anatomically modern humans in Eurasia,” he explains. Andrey Krivoshapkin, co-author of the study and director of theInstitute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that in 2003, archaeologists discovered the remains of a 9- to 12-year-old boy at the site with mixed characteristics: Neanderthal-like teeth but more ambiguous skull features. This could be evidence of hybrid populations that once inhabited this border region.
A sophisticated technology born for precision
Analysis of Obi-Rakhmat's microliths reveals surprising technical sophistication. Unlike massive points designed to withstand heavy impacts, These tools were designed to pierce the prey allowing the shaft to penetrate: a hunting strategy that we will find thousands of years later in the hunting methods of modern sapiens. The similarity with the tips found in the Grotte Mandrin in France, where the first sapiens used bows about 54.000 years ago, is impressive.
The team identified three distinct types of projectile armor: retouched tips large size suitable for spears or javelins, the revolutionary microprojectiles designed for arrows, and the mine which may have functioned as cutting inserts. This diversity suggests a sophisticated understanding of projectile design principles and specialized manufacturing techniques.
A fascinating technical detail: To test their hypotheses, the researchers created replicas of the points using the same silicified limestone as the original site, testing them with modern bows on animal carcasses. The results confirmed that the prehistoric tools functioned effectively as arrowheads, producing impact damage patterns similar to those observed on archaeological finds.
Uzbekistan: A Crossroads of Technological Revolutions
The discovery in Uzbekistan highlights the nuances of human spread across Eurasia. The region lies along routes through which populations migrated from Africa, and contacts between Neanderthals, modern humans, and likely also Denisovans may have facilitated genetic and cultural exchanges. Christian Tryon, expert in Paleolithic archaeology of theUniversity of Connecticut not involved in the study, emphasizes that
“early weapons and hunting technologies were more widespread geographically at an early date than previously supposed.”
The significance of the discovery goes beyond simply backdating a technology. It demonstrates that human technological innovation was a more complex and distributed process than previously thought. Central Asia emerges as an experimental laboratory where different human populations met, exchanged ideas, and likely exchanged knowledge.
Researchers now plan to explore more ancient sites in Central Asia and seek connections with communities in the Levant, a likely region of origin they propose. Direct evidence, such as arrows embedded in prey at hunting sites, would provide the strongest evidence of their use.
For now, the tools found in Uzbekistan indicate that the history of projectile technology (and the humans who created it) is older and more complex than previously thought.
Every time we delve into the past, our ancestors continue to amaze us with their ingenuity.
