Archaeologists have identified a 15-millimeter hole in the shoulder blade of a Neanderthal who died approximately 75,000 years ago, which they believe could be the earliest evidence of lethal violence involving a wooden spear. The wound, discovered in a cave in Iraqi Kurdistan, suggests the spear entered the individual's chest and passed through the body.
Researchers theorize that the near-perfect circular nature of the hole, distinct from natural fractures, points to an intentional strike. Experiments with reconstructed wooden spears have produced similar holes in bone, supporting this hypothesis. While the exact cause remains open to interpretation, with hunting accidents being a possibility, experts suggest interpersonal violence is a more plausible explanation given the wound's trajectory and extent.
This discovery adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that Neanderthal societies experienced more violence than previously understood. The remains, referred to as Shanidar A, were found alongside other skeletal fragments of at least 10 Neanderthals discovered in the same cave in the 1950s.
Similar evidence of interpersonal violence was found in the same cave from a Neanderthal who lived around 50,000 years ago. Ribs from that individual displayed a partially healed wound believed to have been inflicted by a stone-tipped spear. This, along with the Shanidar A wound, suggests that lethal encounters predated settled agricultural societies, challenging the long-held belief that organized warfare emerged with farming.
Further evidence for early human violence comes from findings at the "Pit of Bones" archaeological site in northern Spain. A 2022 study of early Neanderthal skulls from this site, dating back about 430,000 years, revealed 57 healed head injuries among 20 individuals. Nine of these individuals had potentially fatal skull fractures, and six exhibited similar puncture wounds to the back of the head, indicating repeated deliberate blows rather than accidental harm.
The scientific debate continues regarding the frequency and nature of such violence, specifically when sporadic individual killings transitioned into organized group conflict. However, the accumulating evidence indicates that interpersonal violence was a feature of human prehistory much earlier than previously assumed.