Ancient Neolithic Bow Discovered in Europe

Posted on June 29, 2012

An ancient bow has been discovered at the Neolithic site of La Draga, near Lake Bayoles in Catalonia, Spain. The bow has been dated to the period between 5400-5200 BC. It is the first bow to be found intact at the site. Fragments of bows have been found at the site before, but never a complete bow. The researchers say it is the most ancient bow of the Neolithic period ever found in Europe.

La Draga is an archaeological site corresponding to the location in which one of the first farming communities settled in the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula. The site is located on the eastern part of the Banyoles Lake and dates back to 5400 and 5000 BC. Part of the site is totally submerged in the lake, while other parts are located on solid ground.

The current discovery opens new perspectives in understanding how these farming communities lived and organized themselves. The archaeologists say these bows could have served different purposes, such as hunting. However, because this activity was not all that common in the La Draga area, the researchers say it cannot be ruled out that the bows may have represented elements of prestige or been related to defensive or confrontational activities.

Remains have been found of bows in Northern Europe (Denmark, Russia) dating from between the 8th and 9th centuries BC among hunter-gatherer groups, although these groups were from the Paleolithic period, and not the Neolithic. The majority of bows from the Neolithic period in Europe can be found in central and northern Europe. Some fragments of these Neolithic bows from central Europe date from the end of the 6th millennium BC, between 5200-5000 BC, although generally they are from later periods, often more than a thousand years younger than La Draga. For this reason archaeologists say the bows found at La Draga are the most ancient bows in Europe from the Neolithic period.

ARCHAEOLOGY