© juliaf, sxc.huA set of ancient arrows.
The team which was led by University of the Witwatersrand professor Lyn Wadley and included UJ lecturer Dr Marlize Lombard, believed it could be the earliest direct evidence of human-made, stone-tipped arrows.
The tools were excavated from layers of old sediment in Sibudu Cave, a sandstone cliff cave in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
"Closer inspection of the stone tools revealed remnants of blood, bone and other use-traces, that provided clues about how it was used," Lombard said in a statement.
The shape of the geometric pieces indicated where they had been impacted and damaged, and how they were joined to the handle or strap.
Researchers also detected traces of glue, made of a plant-based resin, which may have been used to fasten the pieces to a wooden or reed shaft.
"The presence of glue implies that people were able to produce composite tools - tools where different elements produced from different materials are glued together to make a single artefact," Lombard said.
She said that, according to Professor Larry Barham from the University of Liverpool, this was an indicator of cognitively demanding behaviour which required a lot of thought.
"The discovery, together with other evidence, pushes back the development of 'bow and arrow technology' by at least 20 000 years."
The team's findings were published this week in the journal Antiquity.
Researchers believe that hunting with a bow and arrow "requires intricate multi-staged planning, material collection and tool preparation and implies a range of innovative social and communication skills".
Lombard's ultimate aim was to find out when humans started thinking in the way they do now.
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