The first bow hunters in Europe, Homo sapiens, were identified in Drôme. An incredible discovery about the past of our ancestors which has just been brought to light after eight years of investigation. Ready to step back in time to 54,000 years ago?
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Today at 4:48 PM | updated today at 16:49
Steppes stretch as far as the eye can see in the Rhone Valley. In the distance, a cloud of dust. Przewalski’s horses are rushing south. Small in size, they are easily recognizable with their mullet parting and their Isabel dress. From the Mandrin cave, nestled on a hill, this hunter did not miss them. Armed with a bow, he sets off alone. Homo sapiens knows where the horses go to drink near the river. Unlike the other human species, the Neanderthals, who are only armed with simple assegais, he will be able to stay at a distance to succeed in his shot. The gesture is precise and the eye is as sharp as the point of the finely cut flint, barely 10 mm wide, at the end of its arrow which knocks down one of the equines.
This bow hunting scene could have taken place 54,000 years ago, the oldest known in Europe. After a meticulous prehistoric investigation that lasted eight years, researcher Laure Metz has just revealed, with her colleagues Ludovic Slimak and Jason E. Lewis, that Homo sapiens were already using this technique at that time, whereas, until to now, the first traces of the arch on European soil date back 12,000 years. A hell of a leap into the past. It was made possible thanks to excavations in the Mandrin cave, in Malataverne, south of Montélimar (Drôme).
Closely scrutinized for more than 30 years by archaeologists, the cavity has already revealed, a year ago, the first traces of modern man (Homo sapiens) in Europe (- 54,000 years instead of – 45 000 years ago). One more step has been taken with these new revelations to know how our ancestors hunted. “For 40 years, a group of sapiens came seasonally to the cave which served as a hunting stop. From there, they could follow the herds in the valley,” explains Laure Metz. In the aim of their bow, mainly horses, but also bison and some deer.
A prehistoric experiment on reformed goats
During her investigation, the researcher had to examine dozens and dozens of flint points, especially those that were fractured. “These fractures are caused by a violent frontal impact”, specifies the specialist. It must first be proven that these precious small “pieces” are indeed arrowheads launched with a bow, and not using a propellant, nor by hand.
The small flint points, found in the Mandrin cave in the Drôme, were reproduced for an experiment. Photo Ludovic SLIMAK
The small flint points, found in the Mandrin cave in the Drôme, were reproduced for an experiment. Photo Ludovic SLIMAK
The small flint points, found in the Mandrin cave in the Drôme, were reproduced for an experiment. Photo Ludovic SLIMAK
The Neronian tiny points found in Grotte Mandrin were experimentally reproduced using the same flint and replicating the same technologies. These experimental tiny point were then used as arrowheads and shot by bow to analyse the categories of fractures appearing on these arrowheads and compare them with the scars found on the archeological material. Comparative studies show that the Neronian archeological tiny points were undebtedfully used as arrowheads. Experiments by Laure Metz, Toomaï Boucherat, Christian Trubère and Ludovic Slimak. Photo Ludovic Slimak Photo Le DL /Ludovic Slimak
In one experiment, a dead culled goat was shot with arrows and a bow similar to those used 54,000 years ago. Photo Ludovic SLIMAK
In one experiment, a dead culled goat was shot with arrows and a bow similar to those used 54,000 years ago.
A “prehistoric experiment” is also conducted for four years. Objective: “Reproduce gestures until you come across the same traces as those found during archaeological excavations. Two culled (dead) goats acted as Przewalski horses, the skin of these animals being very close. Specialists, who know how to reproduce the gestures of the bow hunter with precision, have shot arrows with flint tips, similar to those of the Paleolithic period. “This makes it possible to understand how these points fracture, go so far as to pass through the ribs of the animal”, explains the researcher. Shots are also made with other types of weapons such as the spear.
View of arrcheological excavations at the entrance of the Grotte Mandrin. Photo Ludovic Slimak. Photo Le DL /Ludovic Slimak
View of Grotte Mandrin site. Photo Ludovic Slimak Photo Le DL / Ludovic Slimak
View of arrcheological excavations at the entrance of the Grotte Mandrin. Photo Ludovic Slimak. Photo Le DL /Ludovic Slimak
View of arrcheological excavations at the entrance of the Grotte Mandrin. Photo Ludovic Slimak. Photo Le DL /Ludovic Slimak
a blade appearing on the archeological layer E (Neronian) during the excavations from Grotte Mandrin. Photo Ludovic Slimak. Photo Le DL /Ludovic Slimak
A horse mandibular and a Neronian point appearing on the archeological layer E (Neronian) from Grotte Mandrin. Photo Ludovic Slimak. Photo Le DL /Ludovic Slimak
Begins the tedious work in the laboratory to compare the tips of thrown and fractured arrows with those found in the Mandrin cave. A “concordance” is found but the demonstration is far from over. The scientist must also prove that the prehistoric pieces of flint were not caused in any way other than that of an archery. “Pieces” were trodden on and trampled on for two months while others were shattered by “large blocks” falling on them. “In the end, by eliminating the different scenarios, it is archery that is the cause of these fractures”, concludes Laure Metz.
She now hopes to find out where this group of Homo sapiens who brought new technology to Europe came from. A serious track is in Lebanon.. 3,000 kilometers, as the crow flies, from the Mandrin cave.
“Hunting weapons are directly linked to war”
54,000 years ago, did Homo Sapiens also use the bow in conflicts against other groups? In the absence of evidence, only hypotheses can be made. “From an archaeological point of view, we don’t have any traces to observe the differences between hunting and the warlike conflict, but the question arises”, specifies Laure Metz. It then relies on ethnography and the study of primitive societies living in our era. “Among these peoples, hunting weapons are directly linked to war with an image of the warrior which is central”, specifies the specialist.
Un usage social
There is also the question of cultural appropriation. When the first Homo sapiens arrived 54,000 years ago at the Mandrin cave, used as a hunting stop, a cohabitation took place with the Neanderthals. But these will continue to hunt with an assegai or a spear but never with a bow, a more effective weapon. “It’s a hypothesis but it would be a social choice. We can see it today with primitive societies. For example, Ludovic Slimak observed, in Africa, the Males and the Tsamese who live opposite each other. Contrary to the first, the second never adopted the bow because, for them, to use it, it is not to be a man. There are thus more cultural than technical choices,” says researcher Laure Metz.
The info in +
Mandrin Cave
Located near the A7 motorway in Malataverne, south of Montélimar (Drôme), the Mandrin cave aroused initial archaeological interest thanks to Gaston Etienne who discovered human traces there dating from the Bronze Age. But it is only since the beginning of the 90s that the cavity has been excavated. The research program is led by Ludovic Slimak.
The arch study
The revelations about the bow and arrow were the subject of a 15-page article published on February 22 in the specialized journal Science Advances. The work was led by Laure Metz with Jason E. Lewis and Ludovic Slimak. The 41-year-old researcher, specialist in traceology, is associated with the Mediterranean laboratory of prehistory Europe Africa (CNRS / Aix-Marseille University).
