Uncovering Neanderthal Hunting Techniques: Insights from Ancient Elephant Bones

In the back room of the modern Schöningen Research Museum in Germany, old cardboard boxes house a fascinating discovery: remnants from Rehringen, a village 150 kilometers away.

In 1948, 125,000-year-old Paleoloxodon antique bones were excavated from an ancient lake’s bed in Rehringen. While such bones are not uncommon, this particular set contained a remarkable 2.3-meter-long spear embedded between the ribs.

This yew spear is recognized as the oldest complete spear ever discovered. The Rehringen Spear stands as the only known spear found alongside the skeleton of an extinct species. Since Neanderthals were the only humans in Europe at the time, this spear provides critical evidence that they hunted large game rather than scavenged. This was a groundbreaking discovery.

However, challenges arose. The excavation led by Alexander Rosenbrock, a local school principal and amateur archaeologist, revealed that around half of the bones were removed before he, his daughter, and volunteers arrived at the scene.

By the time Rosenbrock reached the site, some bones had already been stolen, and without a camera, he couldn’t sketch the crucial positions of the bones and spear. A lengthy legal battle ensued over the discovery, ultimately allowing Rosenbrock to keep the findings in Verden, which contributed to their obscurity. Sadly, the teacher passed away in the 1950s without publishing his findings.

Over the next 75 years, skepticism around Rehringen emerged. Were the spear and bones truly found together, or was it mere coincidence? Researchers accessed the findings twice but concluded that the elephant bones lacked evidence of butchery.

Fast forward to 2025. Ivo Verheijen, the bone expert at Schöningen, began investigating the Rehringen finds.

“We were informed of just a few boxes,” Verheijen noted. “But upon reaching the museum, we discovered truckloads stored in the attic.”

The Schöningen Center, located 300 meters from an active excavation site since the mid-1990s, previously uncovered 10 spears around 300,000 years old from a nearby quarry. The Rehringen spear, alongside the Clacton spear, represents one of the oldest weapons from the Paleolithic era.

In 2017, the Schöningen team made headlines by discovering a complete ancient elephant, granting Verheijen substantial experience with these bones before switching his focus to Rehringen.

As he examined the artifacts, Verheijen removed an old box containing a freshwater shell from Rehringen and metadata from the excavation. He revealed that the label was a 50-million-mark banknote from the post-World War I inflation era, pointing out, “It used to be printed on one side only.”

This project resembled a cold-case investigation for Verheijen and his team. Fortunately, the box contained not just elephant bones but also flint tools and documentation of Rosenbrock’s work, preserved by his daughter Waltraut Deibel-Rosenbrock after his passing.

It didn’t take long for Verheijen to determine that the Lehringen elephant was slaughtered. “I quickly spotted distinct cut marks,” he stated. “It’s surprising that they weren’t previously noted.”

The elephant’s remains belonged to a young male, over 3.5 meters tall at the shoulder. Verheijen noted that solitary males are often easier targets for hunters.

Examination revealed that not only had the animal been butchered externally, but internal organs had also been removed, indicating that it was freshly dead when Neanderthals approached. It is highly probable that it died with the spear embedded in its side, suggesting a direct correlation between the bones and the weapon found on-site.

Early humans utilized simple flint tools to extract as much as possible from the carcass, leaving behind bones for scavengers. Interestingly, not every bone displayed signs of butchery—bear, beaver, and aurochs remains were also present, indicating that Neanderthals regularly hunted near the lake.

Verheijen suggested that modern elephants often head towards water when injured. Therefore, after being speared, the elephant likely made its way toward the lake, where it may have been pursued until it collapsed. One spear ultimately broke underneath it, which could explain some of the scene’s findings. The research team plans to further analyze the spear.

Even in its initial phases, the project has already painted a vivid picture of Neanderthal hunting behavior.

Verheijen aims to preserve Rehringen’s bones for exhibition, emphasizing, “This site is among the most significant Neanderthal locations in Germany. Despite being previously overlooked, we are dedicated to giving it the recognition it deserves.”

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