It is known that thousands of years ago our ancestors were already able to kill large prey, such as mammoths.
But exactly how early humans killed these enormous beasts remains a mystery.
They may have thrown spears tipped with razor-sharp stones, or they may have surrounded and struck at their prey, or even eaten wounded animals.
Now, a new study suggests the answer may be none of the above. Instead, it suggests that early humans may have held the butts of their pointed spears against the ground, raising the weapon in a manner that would impale an attacking animal like a mammoth, bison, or saber-toothed tiger.
Scientists have discovered how ancient humans were able to defeat giant beasts 13,000 years ago
The force would have driven the spear deeper into the predator’s body, delivering an even greater blow than even the strongest prehistoric hunters could have managed on their own.
A team of archaeologists has examined historical evidence from around the world of people who hunted with mounted spears, based on writings and artwork from various sources.
The team then conducted the first experimental study of stone weapons, focusing on spear hunting techniques, revealing how spears respond to the simulated force of an approaching animal.
Once the sharp stone pierced the flesh and activated the designed attachment system, they said, the spearhead functioned like a modern hollow-point bullet and could inflict serious wounds.
According to the team from the University of California, Berkeley, previous experiments suggest that throwing stone-tipped spears would have felt like a “pinprick” to a 9-ton mammoth.
They added that as people moved across the country they had only a limited supply of suitable stones and would have had to travel hundreds of miles without access to the right long, straight stick to make a spear.
It therefore makes sense that they wouldn’t want to risk throwing or destroying their tools without knowing whether they would hit the animal, the researchers said.
Co-author Jun Sunseri said: ‘The kind of energy you can generate with the human arm is completely different from the kind of energy generated by an attacking animal. It’s an order of magnitude different.’
In the journal Plos One, the researchers write that their findings will change our view of life during the Ice Age, some 13,000 years ago.
In the coming months, the team plans to further test its theory by building something that resembles a replica of a mammoth.
Using a kind of slide or pendulum, they hope to simulate what an attack would look like if a planted pike collided with a huge, fast-moving mammal.