I think understand that the concept of a pointy thing on a long stick is universal, hence spears, but how did almost every culture, even isolated ones, think to develop bows and arrows? We see these from Europe to Africa to Asia to the Americas and even the Sentinelese, so what gives?
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Well, did they? Or are bows and arrows so old that they’ve had time to spread among cultures from a single origin, or a small number?
One thing that’s remarked on is that, prior to European contact, the aboriginal Australians *don’t* appear to have used bows: they hunted with atlatls and various thrown clubs. And the early population of Australia arrived *early:* if the invention of the bow was a one-time event, it would make sense that a group that lost contact with the wider world very early in prehistory might have missed out on it.
Meanwhile, who knows how long the Sentinelese have been on their islands. It’s not like anyone has done a detailed study of their physical culture and archaeology, for obvious reasons. It would not be shocking to learn that they have only lived on— been isolated on— their islands for a few centuries, and brought archery with them when they arrived.
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