Saturday, 12 January 2013

How can you make a spear if there are no trees?



40,000 years ago there were almost no trees in what is now Britain.

The only prospect of getting wood to make a spear haft was if a river brought down some drift-wood: and once the rivers had frozen over for the winter there was no chance of that.

But people couldn't live without spears, could they? Spears were vital for providing food. What would the chances of surviving an attempt to kill a great aurochs bull:

File:Aurochs-Uro1.png

 or a giant deer, or a mammoth, with a hand-held blade?

Whatever the people did, they left no traces for us to find. But of course that doesn't stop us guessing.

What's your guess?

 
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2 comments:

  1. adele12 January 2013 at 12:04

    I wouldn't like to meet that bull with or without a spear! Terrifying...

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  2. Sally Prue12 January 2013 at 14:14

    I do so agree. I was once charged by a bullock, and that was bad enough.

    It came to a sudden halt two feet away from me (there was barbed wire at my back so I couldn't run away) and afterwards people said 'oh, bullocks always do that'.

    They're big, you know, bullocks, when you get up close. I expect that most of them are charming, but there are mean ones out there.

    I'm still really sorry that the giant aurochs cattle went extinct, though, especially as they survived right up to the 1700s.

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