Shanidar A Shows 75,000-Year-Old Spear Killing and Earlier Care in Iraq Cave

Q: Who drove a wooden spear through the chest of a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal, making it the oldest known unsolved homicide?

No one knows. The killer in the Shanidar A case remains unidentified, making it a 75,000-year-old cold case. What researchers can say is that Shanidar A, a roughly 45-year-old Neanderthal found in Shanidar Cave in Iraqi Kurdistan, appears to have died after a sharpened wooden spear passed through the chest and exited the shoulder blade. The wound’s shape, trajectory and force led the study team, led by Emma Pomeroy of the University of Cambridge, to say it looks most like a deliberate “kill shot” aimed toward the heart. As for who delivered it, the evidence does not allow a firm answer. The most likely possibilities raised by researchers are another Neanderthal from the same group or a rival Neanderthal group. Some reports note that a Homo sapiens attacker cannot be completely excluded, but the researchers said there is no particular reason to favor that explanation. They also have not ruled out a hunting accident. So the oldest known unsolved homicide, if it was a homicide, has no named perpetrator. The strongest evidence points to lethal interpersonal violence, probably involving another Neanderthal, but the identity and circumstances remain unknown.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Oct 15

A 75,000-year-old Neanderthal skeleton from Shanidar Cave in Iraq shows a 15 mm hole in the left shoulder blade, evidence of a fatal spear thrust through the chest.
Researchers said the downward wound path and displaced bone shards point to a forceful wooden spear attack, making interpersonal violence between Neanderthals more likely than accident or a Homo sapiens assault.
Seven teeth and jaw remains also show Shanidar A survived a severe facial blow at least a year earlier, losing front teeth and likely needing help with eating and recovery.
Five Neanderthals were buried in a cluster behind a rock pillar in the cave, and the find adds to evidence that Neanderthals combined violence with social care much like modern humans.

Sources

Yahoo! Voices3h ago

Neanderthal Shanidar A Reveals Fatal Spear Wound and Earlier Injury in Iraq

BBC.com3h ago

Hole in Neanderthal shoulder bone linked to ancient wooden spear

AOL3h ago

Was Neanderthal life violent? This wound suggests lethal fighting was more common - AOL

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Who drove a wooden spear through the chest of a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal, making it the oldest known unsolved homicide?

Why did a Neanderthal tribe carefully nurse an injured member for years, only for them to suffer a brutal, deliberate execution?

Lethal Violence and Compassion in Neanderthal Society: Forensic Evidence from the 75,000-Year-Old Shanidar Cave Burials

Overview

The Shanidar Cave discoveries reveal a vivid picture of Neanderthal life 75,000 years ago. Forensic evidence shows Shanidar A died rapidly from a lethal spear wound to the chest, but had survived a brutal facial injury a year earlier thanks to group care and soft food preparation. Scientific dating methods, like OSL, confirmed the ancient age of these layers. Other individuals, such as Shanidar 1, lived for years with severe disabilities, supported by their community. These findings, along with evidence of repeated burials at a cave landmark, demonstrate that Neanderthals balanced episodes of violence with remarkable compassion and social support.

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