Qafzeh-25 Jaw Shows 100,000-Year-Old Assault as Burials Suggest Early Care
Updated
Updated · Haaretz · Jul 10
Qafzeh-25 Jaw Shows 100,000-Year-Old Assault as Burials Suggest Early Care
3 articles · Updated · Haaretz · Jul 10
Summary
A deep cut in Qafzeh-25’s lower jaw — dated roughly 110,000 to 90,000 years ago — appears to be a sharp-rock blow to the face, and partial healing shows the person survived.
Researchers say the lesion’s shape fits interpersonal violence better than accident, making it one of the oldest signs of assault among early Homo sapiens in Eurasia.
The same Qafzeh Cave site has yielded 27 burials, including children with disorders such as hydrocephalus and jaw abnormalities, implying prolonged care before death and deliberate burial afterward.
Those paired findings — violence and caregiving — strengthen the view of Qafzeh as one of the earliest cemeteries and point to growing social complexity, possibly including emerging territorial behavior.
Healed from a 100,000-year-old stabbing, was this early human a victim of war or a beneficiary of prehistoric healthcare?
Was the 'peaceful' Stone Age a myth, with violence being a part of human nature from the very beginning?
The Earliest Evidence of Healed Violence in Homo sapiens: Qafzeh 25 and the Social Complexity of Middle Paleolithic Levant
Overview
In 2026, a groundbreaking study led by Ana Pantoja Pérez revealed the oldest known evidence of a healed sharp-force trauma in a Homo sapiens fossil, Qafzeh 25, discovered in Israel's Qafzeh Cave. The research provided a detailed look at a significant injury on Qafzeh 25's jaw, showing that the wound had fully healed and that the individual survived the traumatic event. This finding not only highlights early evidence of interpersonal violence but also suggests that Qafzeh 25 likely received care from their social group, offering new insights into the complex social behaviors of ancient humans.