A Neanderthal was speared through the chest 75,000 years ago
The victim had already survived a face injury that split a tooth, and scientists say the chest wound happened around the time of death.
Global News Podcast · Four killed in school shooting in US state of OregonSeventy-five thousand years ago, a Neanderthal in what is now Iraqi Kurdistan was hit in the chest with a sharpened wooden weapon.
Researchers say the spear entered the chest, likely harming a lung and large blood vessels, and came out the back at the shoulder blade, leaving a small round hole in the bone. Researchers say it could be the oldest sign of deadly violence with a wooden spear, and the first such example found from the prehistoric Middle East.
The same individual had survived a major injury to the face that split one of their teeth.
Scientists cannot say for certain whether the wound came from a fellow Neanderthal during a hunt or in a killing. But it fits a pattern: another Neanderthal found in the same cave in 1957, who lived about 50,000 years ago, had a partly healed rib wound likely made by a stone-tipped spear.
Questions people ask
Who were the Neanderthals?
Neanderthals were close relatives of modern humans who lived across Europe and western Asia until about 40,000 years ago. They were stocky, strong, and big-brained, made tools, controlled fire, and buried some of their dead. Most people outside Africa today carry a small amount of Neanderthal DNA from ancient interbreeding.
How can scientists tell a hole in bone came from a spear?
They look at the shape, size, and edges of the hole, and the angle it passes through the bone. A clean, round puncture without signs of healing suggests a high-force injury near death, rather than disease or damage after burial. The trajectory through the chest and out the shoulder blade matches a thrust from a wooden-tipped weapon.
Why does surviving a smashed face matter?
A severe facial injury that splits a tooth would have made eating painful and infection likely. Surviving it for some time suggests the person lived long enough to heal, which archaeologists take as a sign that others helped feed and protect them. It is part of growing evidence that Neanderthals cared for sick and injured group members.