A 75,000-year-old shoulder blade suggests Neanderthals engaged in lethal violence using sharpened wooden spears.
Scientists discovered a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal shoulder blade in an Iraqi cave. The bone features a small, round hole. Experts believe a sharpened wooden spear caused this injury.
The spear likely pierced the chest and exited through the shoulder. This strike probably damaged vital organs and blood vessels. It remains the oldest possible evidence of lethal spear violence.
Also, researchers named these remains Shanidar A. They found the bones alongside ribs and hand fragments in the 1950s. The circular shape of the wound matches modern experiments with wooden spears.
However, the cause of the injury remains a subject of debate. Some experts suggest it could be a hunting accident. Others argue that a deliberate attack is much more likely.
Next, this find adds to growing evidence of violence in ancient history. Neanderthals lived across Europe and Asia until 40,000 years ago. They sometimes interacted with early humans.
Furthermore, another Neanderthal from the same cave shows a different injury. That individual had a rib wound from a stone-tipped spear. These findings suggest that human aggression has deep roots.
Still, researchers point to even older evidence found in Spain. A study of skulls from 430,000 years ago shows many head injuries. These repetitive wounds suggest deliberate acts of violence rather than accidents.
Finally, these discoveries challenge old ideas about human behavior. Many once thought warfare began only after humans started farming. New evidence shows that individual killings occurred long before that time.
Now, scientists continue to debate how often these attacks happened. They hope to learn when sporadic violence turned into organized conflict. The team recently published their findings in the journal Scientific Reports.