Schöningen and Gongnanting wooden tools 200-300,000 years old

October 18, 2025

GermanyExcavationNew Research

Museum< 4500 BC

Source: Five New Discoveries Rewriting Human History by Curious Being

Gantangqing wooden tools ~300,000 years old 🏹 Schöningen spears & throwing sticks from Germany dating ~300,000-330,000 years ago. Chinese Gantangqing site: 35 wooden implements including digging sticks with plant remains. Broken tools reshaped — ancient recycling! Likely by early Neanderthals or Homo heidelbergensis.

Key facts claimed:

- Over 700 wooden objects found at Schöningen, Germany in muddy banks of prehistoric lake

- Wooden artifacts date to 200-300,000 years ago, showing advanced woodworking techniques

- German finds include 8-foot long aerodynamic throwing sticks and balanced spears

- Sophisticated hunting weapons designed for ambush hunting of large prey like horses and deer

- At Gantangqing, China, 35 wooden tools dating back to approximately 300,000 years ago discovered

Key facts

Over 700 wooden objects found at Schöningen, Germany in muddy banks of prehistoric lake
Wooden artifacts date to 200-300,000 years ago, showing advanced woodworking techniques
German finds include spoons, pine tools, and 8-foot long aerodynamic throwing sticks and balanced spears
Sophisticated hunting weapons designed for ambush hunting of large prey like horses and deer
At Gongnanting, China, 35 wooden tools dating 361,000-250,000 years ago discovered
Chinese wooden artifacts were primarily digging sticks and plant processing implements
Findings include plant remains: pine nuts, hazelnuts, and kiwis, suggesting plant-based diet
Broken tools were reshaped into new forms showing recycling mindset
Evidence that Homo heidelbergensis or early Neanderthals had sophisticated tool-making abilities