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Oldest Whale Bone Tools Discovered
- Researchers led by archaeologist Jean-Marc Pétillon discovered the oldest known whale bone tools dating back 20,000 to 16,000 years ago along the Bay of Biscay coast in southwestern Europe.
- These artifacts resulted from Late Paleolithic hunter-gatherers scavenging stranded whales rather than active whaling, as whale strandings provided opportunistic access to bones rich in fat.
- The study analyzed 83 whale bone tools and 90 bone fragments from 26 sites using protein sequencing and radiocarbon dating, identifying at least five whale species including sperm, blue, and gray whales.
- Pétillon stated that these bones "are very rich in fat" and revealed that humans carried marine remains inland up to five kilometers, illustrating regional use and possible trade between 17,500 and 16,000 years ago.
- This discovery expands understanding of prehistoric coastal resource use, challenging the inland-biased view of Paleolithic diets and suggesting marine environments influenced human mobility and tool production.
100 Articles
100 Articles
Oldest Known Tools Made From Whale Bone Date Back 20,000 Years - Archaeology Magazine
This projectile made from the bone of a gray whale was discovered in Landes, France, and dates to between 17,500 and 18,000 years ago BAY OF BISCAY, SPAIN––Whales, as the largest mammals on Earth, have long been an important resource for human societies, whether it be for food, oil, or other materials. According to a report by Popular Science, hunter-gatherers in present-day Spain and France have been crafting essential tools from whale bones fo…
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Taipei TimesTools made of whale bones reveal inventiveness of prehistoric people
Artefacts found at archaeological sites in France and Spain along the Bay of Biscay shoreline show that humans have been crafting tools from whale bones since more than 20,000 years ago, illustrating anew the resourcefulness of prehistoric people.
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