Study Finds 75,000-Year-Old Neanderthal May Be Earliest Known Spear Killing
Researchers say a 15-millimeter shoulder wound and earlier facial trauma suggest both lethal violence and care among Neanderthals.
- On Thursday, researchers published a study in Scientific Reports suggesting a Neanderthal known as Shanidar A died from a wooden spear attack roughly 75,000 years ago, based on a 15-millimeter hole discovered in the individual's left shoulder blade.
- Excavated in Iraqi Kurdistan's Shanidar Cave, the remains belong to a burial cluster where Neanderthals deposited their dead over generations, offering insight into their symbolic funerary behaviors and complex social lives.
- Lead author Dr. Emma Pomeroy of the University of Cambridge noted the injury's shape matches experimental wooden spear wounds, while earlier dental trauma suggests the individual survived a separate painful injury and received care.
- This find challenges stereotypes of Neanderthals as "unintelligent" or "uncaring," as the remains reflect the "dual nature" of human behavior by juxtaposing evidence of lethal violence with clear indicators of lifelong support.
- Evidence of systematic violence remains rare in deep prehistory, as most known cases date to later settled farming communities rather than hunter-gatherer societies, positioning this discovery as significant to understanding Neanderthal social dynamics.
146 Articles
146 Articles
75,000-Year-Old Neanderthal Skeleton Reveals a Mysterious Spear Wound Aimed at the Heart
A Neanderthal’s fatal wound points to a possible spear attack aimed at the heart, offering a rare glimpse of prehistoric violence. A small, round hole in a Neanderthal’s shoulder blade suggests a wooden spear pierced the chest about 75,000 years ago. The remains, found in a cave in Iraqi Kurdistan, may preserve the earliest known [...]
A find from the Shanidar cave in Iraq raises new questions. Researchers consider it possible that a Neanderthal man died 75,000 years ago by a wood spear.
A fossil found in Iraqi Kurdistan reveals possible deadly aggression and provides new clues about care among Neanderthals
A Neanderthal skeleton in Iraq has been found with spear marks and severe facial injuries, an archaeological discovery that sheds light on prehistoric violence.
The finding also revealed that the individual, about 45 years old, would have survived a serious facial injury for at least 1 year.They found him in a cave in Iraq.
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