A 75,000-year-old Neandertal shoulder blade bearing a distinct round puncture wound reveals evidence of both interpersonal violence and community care at the Shanidar Cave site in Iraqi Kurdistan, according to a study published on October 15 in Scientific Reports.
Excavations at the Shanidar Cave Site
At first, the team had no idea what caused the hole. “It’s so round, it’s like, what is it?” recalls Emma Pomeroy, a biological anthropologist at the University of Cambridge. But that didn’t fit the nature of the damage.
Microscopic Examination of the Puncture Wound
The next task was to find out what instrument might have caused the injury.
Stone-tipped spears usually create a diamond-shaped hole. Wooden spears, on the other hand, tend to leave round puncture wounds.
| Specimen / Site | Injury Type | Diagnostic Weapon Profile | Healing Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shanidar A (Shoulder Blade) | Puncture wound | Wooden spear (round profile) | Peri-mortem (around time of death) |
| Shanidar A (Incisor) | Shattered tooth / Tartar buildup | Facial impact | Long-term survival (years prior) |
| Shanidar (Earlier Find) | Rib trauma | Stab wound | Documented hominid violence |
Evidence of Prehistoric Care and Violence
Shanidar A’s tooth broke due to a bad injury. The team found a broken incisor alongside the rest of the remains. The tooth was so shattered that Shanidar A probably experienced a serious injury to their face.
That one set of remains suggest both violence and care show that Neandertal “behavior is complex,” Pomeroy adds. “Like us.”
Neandertals were often injured throughout their lives, probably from hunting.
References
- Pomeroy, E., et al. Scientific Reports.
