Archaeologists examining a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal shoulder blade from Iraqi Kurdistan have discovered a small, circular hole that may represent the earliest known evidence of fatal interpersonal violence involving a wooden spear. The find suggests an intentional strike aimed at the heart.
Researchers believe the wound on the shoulder blade, or scapula, was caused by a sharpened wooden weapon that passed straight through the chest. The opening features beveled edges typical of an exit wound, and displaced bone fragments indicate the weapon entered from above and traveled downward.
Reconstructing the 75,000-Year-Old Wound
Dr. Emma Pomeroy, study lead author from Cambridge’s Department of Archaeology and a fellow at Newnham College, Cambridge, highlighted the rarity of the discovery. It’s extraordinary to have a perfectly preserved scapula from 75,000 years ago.
These bones are so thin that you often don’t get complete scapulae from modern burials,
Pomeroy said.
Using recreation spears from the Paleolithic period, researchers tested the mechanics of the injury. Holes left by recreations of spears from this time are an excellent fit for the one we found in the Neanderthal scapula,
Pomeroy noted, adding that that early technology absolutely works for this wound.
While close-range hunting of dangerous animals like mammoths could produce lethal injuries, researchers point out that the force and angle bear the hallmarks of an intended kill shot.
There’s no doubt that Shanidar A would have had difficulty communicating and been in absolute agony for a long period of time,
experts noted regarding the severity of the trauma. At the same time, archaeologists emphasize that the individual received considerable care earlier in life. The story of Shanidar A highlights humanity’s contradictory traits, showcasing both a brutal death and enduring group support.
Uncovering Paleolithic Woodwork in Spain
The Shanidar finding coincides with new archaeological revelations from Abric Romaní, a rock shelter in Capellades west of Barcelona, where mineral-rich travertine water preserved the imprints of wooden tools used by Neanderthals between 62,000 and 40,000 years ago. Publishing their findings in a study published in the journal Science Advances, a team of Spanish archaeologists cataloged 597 wooden remains, including 13 items clearly shaped by human hands.
Because wood rots relatively quickly, the Stone Age typically owes its name to surviving stone tools, making organic finds exceptionally rare. At Abric Romaní, however, dissolved rock precipitated around the tools before they decayed, leaving behind hollow molds that faithfully reflect their shape. Researchers poured resin into some of the imprints to create casts, and digitized the molds using 3D scanning and photogrammetry to produce 3D-printed copies for research and museum displays.
We have a sample of wooden tools for different subsistence activities, not only hunting,
said Gema Chacón, an archaeologist working with the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES-CERCA) who also co-authored the study. Because these artifacts were recovered from a location where Neanderthals inhabited, slept, prepared food, and manufactured implements continuously over approximately 20,000 years, the findings indicate that woodworking was a standard practice rather than an isolated incident.
Recent Discoveries Challenge Outdated Stereotypes of Neanderthals
Together, the discoveries at Shanidar Cave and Abric Romaní challenge outdated stereotypes of Neanderthals as simple, brutal creatures, revealing a society capable of advanced woodworking and complex social structures. As Chris Stringer, an anthropologist at the Natural History Museum in London who wasn’t involved in the study, noted, the work reveals Neanderthals had a wide technological repertoire of woodworking skills. Shanidar A had apparently survived a severe earlier injury with community support before meeting a violent end, adding another important piece to a growing picture of Neanderthal society as capable of both deadly violence and sustained compassion.
Not so long ago, Neanderthals were considered our less complex cousins,
Chacón observed, adding that now it looks like their behaviors were very close to those of Homo sapiens.
