Oldest Weapon Unearthed: 400,000-Year-Old Clacton Spear Points the Way

The oldest weapons in the archaeological record point to the Clacton spear fragment from England, dated to more than 400,000 years ago and likely made by Homo heidelbergensis or Neanderthals. Other early contenders include the Schöningen spears and throwing sticks (about 200,000–300,000 years old) and Kathu Pan 1 spear points (around 500,000 years old, though evidence is debated). Archaeologists stress that ‘weapons’ depend on context and intent, and many ancient organic materials have not survived to preservation.