In brief
Neuroscientists uncovered a neat, 15‑mm hole punched through the shoulder blade of Shanidar A, a Neanderthal who died 75,000 years ago in Iraqi Kurdistan. The wound likely came from a sharpened wooden spear that entered the chest, punctured vital organs, and exited the back. The find, the earliest evidence of lethal violence with a wooden weapon, adds to a growing library of data hinting that interpersonal conflict existed far earlier than once assumed. While some argue it might be a hunting accident, experts lean toward an intentional attack. The discovery ties in with other skeletal injuries across pre‑historic sites that point to a longstanding tradition of human‑on‑human brutality.
Archaeologists have found a 15‑millimetre hole in the left shoulder blade of Shanidar A, a Neanderthal who died roughly 75,000 years ago in a cave in Iraqi Kurdistan. The neat, round opening points to a sharpened wooden spear that struck the chest, pierced the lungs and major blood vessels, and exited the skeleton from the back.
The wound is the earliest proven evidence of lethal violence inflicted by a wooden weapon in the prehistoric Middle East. Dr Emma Pomeroy, lead author from the University of Cambridge, notes that laboratory experiments with reconstructed spears produce similar circular holes in bone.
While the researchers leave open the possibility of a hunting accident or friendly fire, experts like Prof Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum believe an intentional attack by a rival is more plausible, given the wound’s position and severity.
Shanidar A’s remains also included a right hand, three ribs and teeth, making this the most complete set of injuries seen in a single Neanderthal. The find echoes earlier discoveries in the same cave, where a 50,000‑year‑old Neanderthal’s ribs bore healed wounds from a stone‑tipped spear.
These injuries contribute to a growing body of evidence suggesting that interpersonal violence and lethal conflict existed well before the advent of agriculture, and may date back to at least 430,000 years ago based on healed skull wounds in Spain’s “Pit of Bones” site.
While the line between accidental injury and intentional violence may blur, the pattern of attacks—particularly the repeated use of similar weapons—highlights a tradition of organized conflict that predates settled farming societies. The debate continues over how frequent such violence was and when it evolved into large‑scale warfare.
The research was published in Scientific Reports and underscores the complexity of early human social dynamics.
