27 – Earliest spears
400,000 years ago
We know from other archaeological discoveries, such as the Schöningen spears 400,000 years ago, that early hunting technology may have involved weapons made solely from wood. Wooden objects and other items made from organic material are likely to be lost from the archaeological record as they decompose. Long wooden spears would have allowed a somewhat safer hunting tool than early stone tools. Read about the long development of Acheulean tools.
Image credit Jayne Wilkins.
Epoch
Pleistocene2.58 million to 11,700 years ago
Environmental and Climate Changes
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Earth’s climate remains relatively stable with alternating glacial and interglacial periods
Changing Species
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Homo erectus 1.8 Ma to 112,000 Ya
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Homo heidelbergensis 800,000 to 125,000 Ya
