What Type of Weapons Did Early Humans Actually Fight With

Weapons. Terrible and powerful creations used by man to inflict torment and pain upon other members of our species. Over the course of human history, they have taken many forms. And today, some of the cruelest, most creative and deadly weapons ever conceived are in existence. Hundreds of types of guns, bombs, missiles, chemicals, and even psychological weapons are used against perceived enemies in the modern day. But it wasn't always this complex. Weaponry, like every other technology harnessed by Homo sapiens, had to start somewhere. But where? What were weapons like in those early years, towards the dawn of humanity? How did inter-community conflict pan out between early groups of humans? Today, we will be exploring these questions and more. This video will see us look at the creation of physical weapons by the hands of early humans, as well as how they were used. It is a journey that will see us travel back thousands of years. Join us as we take a look at the evolution of human weaponry. Some of the first known intentionally crafted weapons created by the hands of Homo sapiens can be traced back to South Africa 64,000 years ago. Archaeologists in this region have discovered stone tips that would have been used to form tools which resemble the heads of arrows to cause a great deal of damage. These arrow tips, as far as we know so far, only met with animal blood, which looks like they may have been used for hunting purposes and were not launched using a bow. Still, this is some of the first evidence we have of an intentionally crafted weapon used to harm an animal more intensely than the basic sticks that were being thrown prior to their creation. As well as arrow tips, some of the oldest known weaponry used in hunting consists of throwing spears, composed of a stone tip attached to a long wooden stick, and darts which may have been blown or thrown to cause additional damage to targets. These weapons were simple but effective. No other creature ever to evolve on earth had ever used anything quite like them to hunt before. It was creations such as these that made early humans some of the most dangerous creatures ever to evolve. When bows were invented, they appeared to have arisen independently in different continents at different times. The earliest known true bows and arrows were discovered in the late Paleolithic period, around 6000 BCE in Denmark. Separately, early humans in the Americas were wielding their own bows and arrows, both of which proved effective, stealthy ranged weapons used in The bows, unearthed from bogs in Denmark, specifically referred to as homeguard bows after the area in which they were found, were 6 cm wide and around 180 cm long, constructed from elm, maple, oak, and ash trees. The powerful wooden limbs of the bow helped to launch the arrow, built from a wooden shaft and a stone tip at an unsuspecting target at great speeds, forming early foundations for the ranged combat we see in today's modern world. Early populations in the Nile River region of northeast Africa began using more complex bows shortly after this. Their bows were longer, able to fire projectiles faster and further away. This knowledge and technology would eventually lead to huge armies and advanced weapons across North Africa and Mesopotamia, forming the basis of defense for the world's oldest civilizations. Depending on where people were located in the world, bows were created out of the specific plant matter located in the region, while Europeans created tough bows out of elm trees. Populations of early humans in China favored bamboo. Composite bows were crafted in areas where vegetation was sparse, such as the deserts of North Africa and Asia. Constructed from horn and sinew, instead of wood and string. Eventually, ancient humans would begin to discover metal. Copper was the first metal to be harnessed by ancient people. It was discovered and mined in the Anatolian Peninsula, which now consists of Turkey, just after 6000 BCE. In the next few thousand years, metallurgy spread out across Asia and Europe, where tin and ultimately bronze were discovered. The rise of metal allowed early humans to specialize their weapons for different jobs. And before too long, new, durable weapons were being created across the world. Bronze spears, axes, daggers, reinforced bows and even basic swords were crafted using this new technology, which were accompanied by basic leather armor. By the end of the Bronze Age, humanity's arsenal had come a long way from the basic stone tips discovered from the Pleistocene. Evidence of these early weapons being used to inflict wounds on members of the Homo Sapien species, by members of the Homo Sapien species, can be dated back to around 13,000 years ago, in what is now northern Sudan. A large number of skeletons, most of which contain arrowheads embedded in the bones, have all been found in this same locality, which lead experts to believe that an early conflict, or maybe even a massacre, occurred here between two groups of people. Basic bows, maces and slings would have been used throughout the earliest proto-wars or conflicts, depending on the area. And early rock art, from around 10,000 years ago in northern Australia, depicts groups of warriors locked in combat with bows. Violence, it would seem, popped up independently all over the globe throughout prehistory. As we travel forward in time, towards the Neolithic period, evidence from Europe shows that early humans built wooden palisade walls to defend themselves from attacking raider groups or settlements. Speculations have been made that the early people living in the Neolithic even took enemies as slaves as they raided villages or campsites. Known as the Pitted Ware Culture, the area these finds have been associated with in Scandinavia, appear to have been a particularly violent time in human history, with lots of evidence of combat and warfare. With the advent of metal, combat only continued to prosper and evolve. As copper was discovered, organized warfare between settlements and the very first city-states started to take hold, and specific soldiers' quarters were even designated in settlements, combat had become almost an everyday part of life, with attacks an ever-present possibility. It wasn't long before military conquests were commonplace, and some of the early civilizations native to Mesopotamia and North Africa were known to bring city-states under the rule of one group of people, via campaign and conquest. Towards the time of the Late Bronze Age Collapse, mass infantries had formed in parts of the world, and violence was at an all-time high. As raiders looted and burned, early societies fell, and power changed hands often. The Iron Age saw the rise of some of the most powerful civilizations of the ancient world, and combat continued to progress. The ancient Greeks, Phoenicians, Etruscans, and eventually the Romans began to inhabit the lands of mainland Europe, while the people of set up hill forts to defend themselves from attackers. It was these early conflicts that formed the basis of the complex warfare we see throughout the Middle Ages, right up to the advanced warfare of the Modern Age. Over the next few thousand years, weapons came into their own in each and every civilization that began to pop up across the ancient world. Depending on the resources available to them, different kinds of weapons arose in different areas of the world, and ancient civilizations are known for spinning their own takes on their weaponries and armies. Eventually, iron and steel were used to make weapons even more durable and deadly, and vast arrays of weapon classes began to form. Many early civilizations sprang up around the Fertile Crescent, the area surrounding Mesopotamia, the Mediterranean, and North Africa, that would see the rise of civilizations such as the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Hittites, Babylonians, Sumerians, and Persians. Many of these cultures made good use of chariots, mighty horse-drawn vehicles that were used to transport a soldier or soldiers into war. The Hittites built durable, powerful chariots that were used to crash into enemy lines, whereas the Egyptians used them to quickly evade combat, allowing them to rain spears and arrows onto enemies from afar. Swords were used across the ancient world and often differed from culture to culture. Khopesh swords, sickle-like curved blades that were perfect for slicing at enemies, were used across Mesopotamia and Egypt, whereas tribes and populations in Europe favored straight, sharp swords used to swipe and jab. Spears were favored by the ancient Greeks who crafted them in all kinds of shapes and forms. Throwing spears, tridents, javelins, and pike-like long spears were all used in early Greek armies, which were notoriously some of the most successful and accomplished in human history. Early civilizations and populations even took to the sea to fight their wars and conflicts. The ancient Egyptians used basic papyrus boats to transport warriors from one place to another, often with a catapult or bow attached as a means of defense. Should an enemy ship come into range of the Egyptian papyrus boats, they were met with a barrage of heavy stones and piercing arrows. As naval combat progressed, as a means of defense, ships were fitted with units of archers, battering rams, and even fire. Humanity had come a long way since its humble beginnings in Africa. As an early means of defense for a settlement, weapons were a necessity. Wild animals and bands of raiders were an ever-constant threat in the ancient world. And the average human had no means of defending themselves against such force if they too didn't wield weapons of their own. As society began to form and civilization arose, human beings began to show their true nature. Throughout our existence as a sapient species, we have not been able to escape war and conflict. War and weaponry are part of what makes us human, and yet they have been known to cause untold destruction throughout the course of history. Still, weapons continue to evolve with us. New technologies give rise to even deadlier contraptions, and wars rage on. Wear weaponry, and as a result the human race goes from here. Only time will tell.