Neolithic bow find said oldest in Europe

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BANYOLES, Spain, June 29 (UPI) -- Archaeologists say an intact and complete bow found at a Spanish Neolithic site is the oldest such bow ever found in Europe.

Found at La Draga in northeast Spain, the bow has been dated to the period between 5400-5200 B.C., corresponding to the earliest period of settlement in the region, the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona reported Friday.

The discovery provides clues to how the earliest farming communities in the Iberian Peninsula lived and organized themselves, researchers said.

The bow is 42 inches long and made out of yew wood, as were the majority of Neolithic bows in Europe.

Such bows could have served different purposes, such as hunting, although they may have also represented elements of prestige or been related to defensive or confrontational activities, the researchers said.

La Draga, located in the town of Banyoles in Catalonia, is the location of one of the first farming communities settled in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, archaeologists said.