The Ancients

The First Spears


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According to the work of today's guest, Dr Annemieke Milks, humans were using spears approximately 400,000 years ago. Thanks to fragments of wooden spears incredibly well preserved at sites like Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, and Schöningen in Germany, there's now evidence to show our early ancestors weren't just hunter gatherers, but skilled weapons users.


Together, Tristan and Annemieke dissect what the evidence actually shows, the speculation surrounding ancestors millions of years ago also using weapons, and how experimental archaeology holds the key to unlocking the secrets of our ancestors lives.


Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more.


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