Overview

• Fresh dating techniques revise the age of the Schöningen spears from 300,000–400,000 years to approximately 200,000 years, connecting them to Neanderthals rather than Homo heidelbergensis.
• The assemblage includes nine complete spears, a lance, and other tools, making it the oldest fully preserved collection of wooden Paleolithic weapons discovered.
• Evidence from horse remains at the site suggests Neanderthals used collective hunting strategies to ambush and butcher entire horse family groups.
• The findings provide early insights into Neanderthal behavior, showing parallels with modern human social and hunting practices.
• While the study, published in *Science Advances*, presents compelling evidence, some experts call for further research to confirm the revised dating and attribution.