Posted on 04/22/2025 9:11:58 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
According to Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine, 6,500-year-old objects found deep within a cave in West Texas may comprise the oldest nearly-intact weapons kit recovered in North America. The wooden and stone tools were collected by a team of archaeologists from Sul Ross State University and the University of Kansas over the past several years from San Esteban Rockshelter near Marfa. Several thousand years ago, an Indigenous hunter sat by a fire in the cave and evaluated the state of their weapons, making repairs to some and discarding others. Their arsenal consisted of a throwing spear, a boomerang, and several wooden poisoned-tipped darts and stone projectiles. "A person came to the back of the cave and went through their hunting gear piece by piece: 'This is good. This is not good. I need to remake this leather pouch a little bit.' And then they went on their way," Center for Big Bend Studies archaeologist Bryon Schroeder said. "But that one small act is going to have profound implications in understanding a wide range of topics, including the environment." The team also found a neatly folded antelope hide nearby.
(Excerpt) Read more at archaeology.org ...
Maria Texas....
Thanks! Nice find!
Stop with the complaints to me as if I wrote the text.
Me boomerang won't come back.
My privilege. I always like to see Pre-Clovis finds 15k plus... :)
What, no Buck knife?
[...why did they leave the kit there?]
Dad told kids not to touch his hunting gear. Kids took kit to back of cave, then forgot to get it after being called to dinner for the third time.
The Buck knife and the Wing knife turned out to be a back number. /rimshot (I’m not using the usual rimshot graphic because I’m sure this will require a web search for anyone else to get it, even though there are older timers than me on FR)
It’s still fine
Boomerang, Boomerang, Boomerang,
it’s still mine
Boomerang, Boomerang, Boomerang...
Simpler days may have been better times. I wonder what future archeologists will think of my “bug-ou bag”.
Vast hearts roamed the continent, game was thick and as it grazed the nomadic hunters maintained the pace and hunted them. There was no downtime, no extracurricular activities. Life was simple, but revolved around the herds and flocks. Eat, sleep, hunt, maintain the tools needed for success.
But the Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot Ranger Model air rifle that young Ugg junior wanted wasn’t there ...
Bummer ...
IF you google search images for this then there are some pictures of a cave. I am not sure if they are just stock photo’s though. In the picture you posted there is what could be a cave entrance on the right side.
Big Ol’ Texas Bump
He IS Neanderthal, consider the source.
lolol.
:^) And avoid becoming easy prey.
And our landfills. “While this appears to be just a large refuse pile, the systematic stacking in individual bags indicates a ritual purpose, perhaps offerings to their deities.” :^)
Great start to a novel.
LOL
And, no surprise, they broke a bunch of it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.