A Neanderthal Wound and the Early Use of Wooden Spears
BBC News reports on a fascinating archaeological discovery that sheds light on the violent side of Neanderthal life.
A 15mm hole in a Neanderthal shoulder blade, found in a cave in Iraqi Kurdistan, is believed to be the earliest evidence of lethal violence involving a wooden spear. The research, led by Dr Emma Pomeroy from Cambridge's Department of Archaeology, suggests that the spear entered the individual's chest, damaged a lung and major blood vessels, and exited through the left shoulder blade, leaving a near-perfect circular hole.
"The fatal strike may have been an intended heart shot," Dr Pomeroy explains.
The remains, known as Shanidar A, include a left shoulder blade, a right hand, three ribs, and some teeth. The wound is circular and consistent with experiments using reconstructed wooden spears, indicating its likely cause.
While the researchers acknowledge the possibility of a hunting accident, Prof Chris Stringer from the Natural History Museum in London considers an attack by a rival more plausible.
This discovery is significant as it echoes an earlier find in the same cave, where a Neanderthal's ribs revealed evidence of a healed wound from a stone-tipped spear. These findings contribute to a growing body of evidence suggesting that human-on-human violence may have been more common among Neanderthals than previously thought.