Reindeer hunt
Holsteens family goes hunting... Reindeer hunting. Will you come along? But be careful and don't make too much noise. Click play to start the sound clip.
The reindeer hunt - 11,000 years ago
11,000 years ago. The long winter is almost over, the ice age is coming to an end… Apart from a few trees and shrubs, you will find extensive grasslands here, just like the meadow that lies before us.
Every spring the herds move to the Ardennes to graze and have their young. In the autumn they head towards the Netherlands, where there is still plenty of food to be found under the blanket of snow. On their journey they pass by here. You will find tens of thousands of them here on the steppes.
What they don't know is that they are being followed by their two greatest enemies: the wolf and… man!
Task
If you look around carefully, you will still see many stones here, in all sizes, colours and types. Can you find a flint, a sandstone and a quartzite. Or would you like to play the Stone Bingo? (click here to play).
Bow and arrow or spearthrower and spear?
The hunting scene shows a number of hunters with bows and arrows, as well as a hunter with a spear and a spearthrower. This latter hunting technique was frequently used during the Magdalenian (17,000 to 14,000 years ago).
But recent research at the University of Liège has shown that it was already in use 10,000 years earlier, during the Gravettian. It raises the question of how we can know which hunting weapons were used, spearthrower and spear or bow and arrow? Unfortunately, in our acidic soil, only the 'stone' part of hunting weapons remains. So for a long time it was guesswork. But a new approach was developed recently.
This combines ballistic, experimental and microscopic research (Veerle Rots). This allows us to identify the hunting technique used even when no organic material has been preserved. For Belgium, this approach has already identified the use of spears and spearthrowers at the Maisières-Canal site and the use of bows and arrows at Lommel-Maatheide.
Sources:
- Coppe, J., N. Taipale & V. Rots. 2023. Terminal ballistic analysis of impact fractures reveals the use of spearthrower 31 ky ago at Maisières-Canal, Belgium, Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45554-w.
- Sonja Tomasso, Dries Cnuts, Justin Coppe, Marijn Van Gils, Ferdi Geerts, Marc De Bie, Veerle Rots. 2021. A closer look at an eroded dune landscape: first functional insights into the Federmessergruppen site of Lommel-Maatheide, Peer Community Journal 1: article no. e66. https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.67/
Spear Driver
Ballistic test to determine whether a point was mounted on a spear or an arrow. ©TraceoLab
Sources
Coppe, J., N. Taipale & V. Rots. 2023. Terminal ballistic analysis of impact fractures reveals the use of spearthrower 31 ky ago at Maisières-Canal, Belgium, Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45554-w.
Sonja Tomasso, Dries Cnuts, Justin Coppe, Marijn Van Gils, Ferdi Geerts, Marc De Bie, Veerle Rots. 2021. A closer look at an eroded dune landscape: first functional insights into the Federmessergruppen site of Lommel-Maatheide, Peer Community Journal 1: article no. e66. https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.67/
Listening story
Dad: Here, rub this leaf between your hands until sap comes out, and put it on your shin. Dock leaves will heal your wounds, Lara. And eat some blueberries to keep you alert. You're going to need it on the hunt.
Lara: Ouch! And what if there are wolves Daddy?
Dad: I have an extra arrow with me. Don't worry too much about that.
Orin: My sister cut herself badly when she was carving her spear thrower. One of those sticks with a hook that you use to catapult the spear away. I can hit a reindeer with it from 50 metres,( I've been practising a lot too).
Dad: Higher, Lara, you have to hold your spear higher above your head, even higher and then aim diagonally upwards with a powerful arm stroke, then the spear will go the furthest.
Orin: Lara is still young and has a lot to learn. She can already use a bow and arrow. We also use our bow and arrow more and more. Lara can't stay in the tent, we need her on the hunt. With my little brother around, there are a lot of mouths to fill. And that cut.... You get hard from that, we all have scars. I have one through my brow ? Good one huh? A cut from a flint. A stone we make arrowheads from. They're razor sharp. You find them everywhere here. But the trick is: hammering them into a good arrowhead.
Orin: Search around, they are here in the sand. It's a rough stone, mostly grey, almost white. (select stone) But if you knock on it with another stone, they break easily. The shards that come off are smooth and very sharp. Be careful when you hit it. (soundscape)
Dad: Then the spear tip is put on the end of the stick. Look: Split right on the end (while doing so) and push the spear tip in, Like this? Yes, careful not to cut yourself. Now tie it tightly, the tip should be tight......
Orin: Ssst: Look, on the left of the hill, there in the grass, the reindeer. 4,5, 6, I count 7
Dad: No, another 8.
Orin: (soundscape) Arrows! Ok, 6 ...I have 8 with me. And a bow. Go to the left, and behind, bend down, Lara go with Yotan! Lower lower lower through the grass Lara! Morgon, by my side, Close them in, slower, slower.... Closing in further, .... Closer. In position , and to the front, to the front!!! Faster! Right behind. Shoot now!!!
Dad: 2 adult reindeer...well done , you too Lara! Well done for your first hunt! Lara?(panic) Lara ???? where is Lara? Where was she standing when we fired the arrows?
Dad: (soundscape) Did you see any wolves? Were there any wolves? Lara? Laaaraaa??? I'm going to the camp. Lara???