Neanderthal may have been killed by a wooden spear 75,000 years ago — ScienceDaily
Archaeologists in Shanidar Cave in Iraqi Kurdistan examined the shoulder blade of a Neanderthal who lived around 75,000 years ago and suggested that he may have been fatally wounded by a sharpened wooden spear. ScienceDaily reports on the findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports.
A round hole 15 millimetres in diameter was found in the nearly complete left shoulder blade. Researchers from the University of Cambridge believe it may have been caused by a spear with a wooden point: stone or flint tips usually produce flatter or more angular damage.
Trajectory of the wound
According to the archaeologists' reconstruction, the weapon entered the front of the left side of the chest, passed through the lung and probably major blood vessels, and then pierced the shoulder blade from behind. The bevelled edges of the hole indicate that it may have been an exit wound, while displaced small bone fragments point to a downward direction of impact.
Scientists cannot determine the exact circumstances of the death or who inflicted the blow. They allow for the possibility of an accident while hunting large animals, but the position of the wound and the force needed for the spear to pass through the body, in their view, are consistent with a deliberate strike to the heart area. If this assumption is correct, the case may be the oldest known evidence of fatal interpersonal violence involving a wooden spear.
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Signs of care during life
The remains, named Shanidar A, belonged to an adult Neanderthal who was about 45 years old at the time of death. Alongside the shoulder blade, archaeologists found an almost complete right hand, ribs and seven teeth. One lower incisor was split vertically, and neighbouring teeth had shifted inward, which researchers link to a powerful blow to the face.
A substantial layer of tartar formed on the exposed root canal of the broken tooth. According to the researchers, this indicates that the Neanderthal lived for at least a year after the injury, and possibly longer. Scientists believe that because of pain and difficulties with eating and communication, Shanidar A may have needed support from other group members, including softer food.
Shanidar A was discovered in 2020 in a cluster of remains of five Neanderthals — four adults and an infant. They were found in a confined space behind a large vertical boulder, and thin layers of sediment between the remains indicate that the bodies were placed there at different times. Researchers view this as evidence that Neanderthals may have returned to the same place to bury their dead.
