News Excerpt: 

New research indicates that the Stone Age a long prehistoric period characterised by the use of stone tools by humans and our ancestors might as accurately be described as the ‘Wood Age’.

More About the News: 

• In the 19th century, Danish archaeologist Christian Jürgensen Thomsen pioneered the first scientifically rigorous categorization of human prehistory, dividing it into the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age based on technological advancements. 
• Thomsen's chronology, rooted in the progression of human technology, has become widely accepted, though it has undergone significant refinements to acknowledge the diversity of cultural experiences. 
• The Stone Age traces its origins back to approximately 3.4 million years ago when hominids in modern-day Ethiopia first began using stone tools. This epoch, encompassing 99% of human history, persisted until around 6,000-4,000 BP (Before Present). 
• It is subdivided into three main periods: the Palaeolithic (or 'Old Stone Age'), Mesolithic (or 'Middle Stone Age'), and Neolithic (or 'New Stone Age'). The Palaeolithic era, extending in some regions until roughly 11,650 BP, is characterized by the use of rudimentary stone tools and a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle. 
• The Mesolithic period serves as a transitional phase between the Palaeolithic and Neolithic eras. The Neolithic period, which commenced around 12,000 BP in West Asia, is distinguished by the emergence of settled agriculture and the domestication of animals.

Key points about the Study:

• A recently study of around 300,000-400,000 year old wooden artefacts excavated from a coal mine in Schöningen, Germany between 1994 and 2008, indicated that these were not simply “sharpened sticks” but “technologically advanced tools” which required skill, precision, and time to build.
• The study identified 187 wooden artifacts, demonstrating a broad spectrum of woodworking techniques, including splitting, scraping, and abrasion.

Preservation bias

• The classification of the Stone Age is primarily based on archaeological findings, particularly excavated sites yielding various types of stone tools reflecting human capabilities and lifestyles. Charles Darwin noted in 1871 that crafting even the simplest flint tool necessitated a high level of manual skill and mental acumen. 
• While stone tools are abundant in archaeological records, evidence of other materials such as bones, antlers, clay, and limited metalworking is also present. 
• Despite wood being a prevalent resource, its archaeological traces are sparse, with only a handful of sites yielding wooden artifacts from the Lower Palaeolithic period.
• Stone Age sites across the world also show evidence of a number of other materials being used, from bones and antlers, to clay, and some (very limited) metalworking.
• Evidence of woodworking, however, has been far more limited even though wood would have been an abundant resource.
• Of the thousands of archaeological sites that can be traced to the Lower Palaeolithic (up to around 200,000 BP), wood has been recovered from less than 10,  
• The earliest evidence of the use of wood, seen in the form of wooden dwellings, has been dated to only 700,000 BP over two and a half million years after the earliest evidence of stone tools.
• Preservation bias, as noted by archaeologists such as Aimé Bocquet and Michel Noël in 1985, distorts our understanding of antiquity, leading to an underestimation of the role of wood in prehistoric societies. 
• Thomas Teberger, head of a recent study, emphasized the likelihood that wooden tools existed alongside stone ones since ancient times, highlighting the impact of preservation biases on historical interpretations.

Schöningen reveals:

• The Schöningen site is significant because its damp and oxygen-less soil conditions allowed for the preservation of wood and other organic matter, resulting in the most well-preserved assemblage of prehistoric wooden artifacts in the world.
• The Schöningen artifacts, including at least 20 hunting weapons is now recognised and two newly identified artifact types comprise 35 tools made on split woods, which were likely used in domestic activities
• The Hartmut Thieme's discovery of three wooden spears, along with stone tools and butchered remains of wild horses, dated around 400,000 years ago at the Schöningen site, represents the world's oldest preserved hunting weapons.
• The Schöningen artifacts suggest that systematic hunting, involving foresight, planning and the use of appropriate technology, was part of the behavioural repertoire of pre-modern hominid.
• The study revealed that pre-modern humans were sophisticated enough to organize butchering, roasting, and potentially communicate together to hunt prey.
• The wooden artifacts showed signs of being resharpened and repaired, indicating that tools were recycled and used for multiple tasks, suggesting a high level of technological complexity.

Conclusion:

The findings from Schöningen offer a more well-rounded glimpse into our past, highlighting the outstanding importance of wood as a raw material and the sophisticated capabilities of pre-modern humans in working with it.