Europe’s (and possibly the world’s) oldest boomerang

It is the oldest boomerang known in Europe—and possibly in the world. Carved from a mammoth tusk and discovered in the Obłazowa Cave in Poland, this remarkable object dates back over 42,000 years. A new study coordinated by the University of Bologna places the artefact within a previously unexplored chronological and cultural context, shedding light on an astonishing level of cognitive sophistication, technical planning, and symbolic thinking at the dawn of Homo sapiens’ presence on the European continent.

The study, published today in the international journal PLOS ONE, is the result of an interdisciplinary collaboration involving researchers from the BRAVHO Radiocarbon Laboratory at the University of Bologna, the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig.

“We employed the most advanced technologies currently available to determine the chronological and cultural context of this extraordinary find, and the results were astonishing,” says Sahra Talamo, professor in the Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician" at the University of Bologna and Director of the BRAVHO Laboratory. “Our analyses allow us to place the boomerang among the earliest symbolic and technological objects known in Europe—evidence of the cognitive sophistication of early Homo sapiens in the heart of the continent.”

This is confirmed by Paweł Valde Nowak, professor at the Institute of Archaeology at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and the first scholar to study the Obłazowa boomerang: “Given its characteristics and remarkable state of preservation, this boomerang is an unprecedented artefact that allows us to explore previously unknown aspects of Aurignacian culture in Central and Eastern Europe.”

Measuring over 70 centimetres in length, finely crafted from a mammoth tusk, the boomerang was found in archaeological layer VIII of the Obłazowa Cave in southern Poland—a rare discovery for the European Palaeolithic.

It had long been assumed that the boomerang was invented thousands of years ago by Aboriginal peoples in Australia. Yet the artefact uncovered in Obłazowa bears a striking resemblance to examples found in Queensland. Establishing a precise date for the object was therefore crucial—not only to better understand the cultural and artistic development of Homo sapiens in Europe, but also to explore the possible origins of this kind of tool.

This motivated the launch of a new multidisciplinary study on the Obłazowa boomerang. The investigation, led by Professor Talamo, dated the artefact to between 42,290 and 39,280 years ago—a finding that radically redefines the chronology of the Polish site and opens new perspectives on the early presence of Homo sapiens across Central Europe.

“The main challenge was obtaining a reliable chronology for the boomerang without damaging it,” explains Nicole Casaccia, PhD candidate at the University of Bologna working in the BRAVHO Laboratory. “We therefore opted to date bone remains found in its immediate proximity.”

Casaccia was responsible for pre-treating the samples for dating and contributed to the interpretation of radiocarbon data obtained using accelerator mass spectrometry.

The boomerang was discovered alongside other ivory ornaments, animal bones, and a rare human phalanx attributed to Homo sapiens—all elements that suggest the possibility of a shamanic ritual context.

“The association of the boomerang with Aurignacian tools and ornaments points to a distinct cultural identity in Central and Eastern Europe, often overlooked in traditional models of Homo sapiens expansion,” explains Andrea Picin, professor at the University of Bologna and co-author of the study, who analysed the cultural context and lithic artefacts.

Until now, Central and Eastern Europe have often been viewed as peripheral regions in the early dispersal of Homo sapiens compared to Western Europe. However, the new dating of the boomerang and associated finds suggests a prolonged occupation of the Obłazowa Cave during a period marked by significant climate fluctuations. This evidence prompts a re-evaluation of the role of Central and Eastern Europe in reconstructing early human migration.

“This discovery highlights the importance of integrating different disciplines to reconstruct the key transitions in human history,” concludes Talamo. “And it reminds us that even the least explored regions of Europe’s prehistoric past can yield findings capable of profoundly reshaping our understanding of human origins.”

The study was published in PLOS ONE under the title "Boomerang and Bones: Refining the chronology of the Early Upper Paleolithic at Obłazowa Cave, Poland". Contributors from the University of Bologna include Sahra Talamo, Nicole Casaccia, Laura Tassoni, Giorgia Sciutto and Andrea Picin from the Department of Chemistry “Giacomo Ciamician”, along with Carla Figus, Antonino Vazzana, Ginevra Di Bernardo, Matteo Romandini and Stefano Benazzi from the Department of Cultural Heritage.