Ancient Boomerang Mystery Deepens: New Study Uncovers Even Older Origins Than Imagined
So, imagine uncovering a boomerang so old, it would make your favorite history teacher do a double-take — and it doesn’t just come from sunny Australia, but Poland of all places! Yep, back in the ’80s, some savvy archaeologists stumbled upon a boomerang in Obłazowa Cave, initially pegged as a mere 18,000 years old. Not shabby, right? But hold onto your hats because new analysis is flipping that estimate on its head— this prehistoric chuck-it tool might actually date back a jaw-dropping 40,000 years! Now, doesn’t that make you wonder: were our ancient ancestors early inventors of “boomerang technology” before it famously soared across Aussie skies? And if so, what kind of stories would this mammoth tusk-crafted wonder tell if it could talk? Dive into the twists and turns of its dating drama and the mysterious functions it may have served beyond just flying through the air. Trust me, this isn’t your average throwback. LEARN MORE
The boomerang, discovered in Poland’s Obłazowa Cave in the 1980s, was once believed to be 18,000 years old, but a new analysis suggests it’s about 40,000 years old.
Talamo et al., PLOS ONE, 2025The mammoth tusk boomerang was first unearthed in Poland’s Obłazowa Cave in the 1980s.
The prehistoric boomerang found in Poland’s Obłazowa Cave was always an exciting discovery. Unearthed among other objects, including a human thumb bone, the boomerang was originally estimated to be 18,000 years old. That made it thousands of years older than the earliest known boomerangs found in Australia, which are about 10,000 years old.
But there was an issue: The other objects in the Polish cave were much older, leading researchers to believe that the boomerang’s age was incorrect. Indeed, they’ve now found that it’s far older than once thought.
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