World's oldest boomerang, doesn't come back when thrown!
The world's oldest boomerang is even older than we thought, and is being studied by scientists to learn more about how ancient humans lived.The curved boomerang is made from Mammoth tusk and was found in the Oblazowa Cave in Poland in 1985.Archaeologists in 1996 originally thought the bone could be around 30,000 years old, but after studying it again, the new team of scientists say it is actually even older - around 40,000 years old."It's the oldest boomerang in the world, and the only one in the world made of this shape and this long to be found in Poland," said Dr Sahra Talamo from the University of Bologna, in Italy.Adding that it gives a "remarkable insight" into human behaviour.
From studying it's shape, the scientists figured out that it would have flown when thrown, but not return to the person throwing it.Rather than being used as a toy like today, the team figured out that it was likely used as a tool for hunting, or as part of an ancient ritual, or a piece of art.From looking at marks on the handle, the team were also able to learn that the boomerang once belonged to someone who was right-handed.Nowadays boomerangs are generally associated with Aboriginal culture in Australia.The oldest known boomerang from Australia dates to about 10,500 years ago, and was made from wood.But the oldest images of boomerangs in Australia are rock art paintings that are 20,000 years old, according to National Museum Australia.
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