Updated

Updated · The Economic Times · Nov 1

Cambridge Study Says 75,000-Year-Old Neanderthal Died From 15-Millimeter Spear Wound

Updated

Updated · The Economic Times · Nov 1

Cambridge Study Says 75,000-Year-Old Neanderthal Died From 15-Millimeter Spear Wound

Q: Was it a fellow Neanderthal or an early modern human who threw the fatal spear 75,000 years ago?

No one knows for sure, but the researchers say a fellow Neanderthal is the more likely suspect. The evidence from Shanidar A’s shoulder blade strongly suggests he died after a sharpened wooden spear passed through his chest, probably causing a rapid, fatal injury. The wound’s shape does not fit a stone- or flint-tipped weapon, and its downward angle and force are consistent with either a close-range hunting accident or an intentional attack. Because Shanidar A was a Neanderthal living about 75,000 years ago in what is now Iraqi Kurdistan, the most straightforward explanation is that another Neanderthal inflicted the wound. The Cambridge team explicitly says interpersonal violence between Neanderthals is the most likely scenario. Independent experts quoted in coverage also say the wound’s placement makes deliberate violence more plausible than accident, though neither can be proved. Early modern humans cannot be ruled out entirely. Neanderthals and Homo sapiens did overlap in parts of the Middle East at times, and researchers acknowledge that possibility. But there is no direct evidence at Shanidar Cave tying modern humans to this death—no associated weapon, no human remains from the same event, and no genetic or archaeological sign identifying the attacker. So the honest answer is that the killer cannot be identified, but based on the available evidence, another Neanderthal is the leading interpretation.

2 articles · Updated · The Economic Times · Nov 1

A 15-millimeter circular hole in Shanidar A’s left shoulder blade led Cambridge researchers to conclude the Neanderthal was killed 75,000 years ago by a sharpened wooden spear driven through the chest.
Bone fragments and the wound’s downward angle suggest the weapon pierced the lung and major arteries in what researchers describe as a likely “heart shot” intended to kill quickly.
Shanidar A, an adult who died around age 45, may have been killed in a hunting accident, but the team says interpersonal violence between Neanderthals is the simplest explanation; modern human involvement cannot be ruled out.
About a year earlier, the same individual survived severe facial trauma that split a tooth lengthwise, and researchers say the prolonged survival points to care and support from other Neanderthals.
The Shanidar Cave remains therefore add to evidence that Neanderthal life combined both lethal violence and social compassion.