An unusual quartz-tipped tool killed a man 12,000 years ago. Scientists are puzzling over who wielded it

12,000-Year-Old Skeleton Reveals Death Linked To Rare Quartz-Tipped Weapon

A 12,000-year-old skeleton found in Vietnam shows early evidence of violence, with a man surviving months after being wounded by a quartz-tipped weapon, offering rare insight into ancient Southeast Asian hunter-gatherer life and conflict.

An unusual quartz-tipped tool killed a man 12,000 years ago. Scientists are puzzling over who wielded it

A well-preserved human skeleton that scientists recently excavated in Vietnam dates back about 12,000 years ago to the Ice Age and contains the oldest human mitochondrial DNA found in the region. It belonged to a man who died when he was around 35 years old after being pierced in the neck by a projectile with a tip made of quartz that showed signs of human workmanship.

Who mortally wounded this man with a quartz projectile 12,000 years ago? Nobody knows.

Researchers examining a well-preserved human skeleton recently excavated in Vietnam concluded that the man was about 35 years old when he died some 12,000 years ago and was mortally injured by a projectile tipped with quartz. The quartz shows signs of "human workmanship" and the skeleton shows signs of recovery from the wound: he was killed, then, by a subsequent infection rather than the projectile itself. — Read the rest The post Who mortally …

Ice age skeleton with broken neck bone provides rare glimpse into the lives of ancient hunter-gatherers

A skeleton found in Vietnam contains a bone that was likely pierced by a projectile. It may be the earliest sign of interpersonal conflict in mainland Southeast Asia, research suggests.