Updated

Updated · Reuters · Oct 15

Iraqi Cave Neanderthal Shows 15mm Fatal Spear Wound as Earlier Injury Suggests Care

Updated

Updated · Reuters · Oct 15

Iraqi Cave Neanderthal Shows 15mm Fatal Spear Wound as Earlier Injury Suggests Care

Q: Who drove a wooden spear through the chest of a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal, making it the oldest known unsolved homicide?

No one knows. The killer in the Shanidar A case remains unidentified, making it a 75,000-year-old cold case. What researchers can say is that Shanidar A, a roughly 45-year-old Neanderthal found in Shanidar Cave in Iraqi Kurdistan, appears to have died after a sharpened wooden spear passed through the chest and exited the shoulder blade. The wound’s shape, trajectory and force led the study team, led by Emma Pomeroy of the University of Cambridge, to say it looks most like a deliberate “kill shot” aimed toward the heart. As for who delivered it, the evidence does not allow a firm answer. The most likely possibilities raised by researchers are another Neanderthal from the same group or a rival Neanderthal group. Some reports note that a Homo sapiens attacker cannot be completely excluded, but the researchers said there is no particular reason to favor that explanation. They also have not ruled out a hunting accident. So the oldest known unsolved homicide, if it was a homicide, has no named perpetrator. The strongest evidence points to lethal interpersonal violence, probably involving another Neanderthal, but the identity and circumstances remain unknown.

3 articles · Updated · Reuters · Oct 15

A partial Neanderthal skeleton from Shanidar Cave in Iraq's Kurdistan region shows a 15 mm hole in the left shoulder blade, consistent with a fatal stab about 75,000 years ago.
Researchers said the wound most likely came from a forceful thrust with a sharpened wooden spear, entering from above through the left chest and lung in what they see as probable interpersonal violence.
Seven teeth and other remains show the same individual had survived a severe facial blow at least a year earlier, losing front teeth and likely needing help with eating and recovery.
Shanidar A was one of five Neanderthals placed in a burial cluster in the cave, adding to evidence that Neanderthals combined violence with social care much like modern humans.

Sources

Reuters10h ago

Iraqi Cave Neanderthal Reveals Fatal Spear Attack, Earlier Injury

BBC.com10h ago

Hole in Neanderthal shoulder bone linked to ancient wooden spear

Yahoo! Voices10h ago

Bones from Iraqi cave hint at violence and compassion in Neanderthals

17 Sources

Who drove a wooden spear through the chest of a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal, making it the oldest known unsolved homicide?

Why did a Neanderthal tribe carefully nurse an injured member for years, only for them to suffer a brutal, deliberate execution?

Lethal Violence and Compassion in Neanderthal Society: Forensic Evidence from the 75,000-Year-Old Shanidar Cave Burials

Overview

The Shanidar Cave discoveries reveal a vivid picture of Neanderthal life 75,000 years ago. Forensic evidence shows Shanidar A died rapidly from a lethal spear wound to the chest, but had survived a brutal facial injury a year earlier thanks to group care and soft food preparation. Scientific dating methods, like OSL, confirmed the ancient age of these layers. Other individuals, such as Shanidar 1, lived for years with severe disabilities, supported by their community. These findings, along with evidence of repeated burials at a cave landmark, demonstrate that Neanderthals balanced episodes of violence with remarkable compassion and social support.

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