Skeletal remains excavated from Shanidar cave in Iraqi Kurdistan reveal what may be the earliest known fatal spear wound among human ancestors. The injury appears on the shoulder blade of an adult Neanderthal who died more than 70,000 years ago. Researchers uncovered the remains beneath nearly 8 metres of rock and sediment, along with skeletal material from at least four other Neanderthals buried at the same location over an extended period.
The distinctive wound consists of a 1.5-centimetre-wide hole with three fractures radiating outward and bone fragments filling the injury. Scientists determined that a wooden spear struck the body from the front, with the force of impact punching bone fragments outward from the thin shoulder blade. The positioning and severity of the injury suggest it would have penetrated the chest cavity, potentially puncturing the lung and severing arteries before exiting through the shoulder.
Dr Emma Pomeroy, a biological anthropologist at the University of Cambridge involved in the research, noted that the force required and trajectory of the wound indicate a directed strike rather than an accidental impact. However, the precise circumstances remain unclear—whether the injury resulted from a hunting accident or intentional violence cannot be definitively determined from the skeletal evidence alone. The individual bore additional signs of prior trauma, including a vertically split lower incisor tooth surrounded by hardened plaque suggesting at least a year of accumulation.
The discovery adds to growing evidence that Neanderthals used wooden implements as tools and weapons. Timber spears from approximately 200,000 years ago have been found preserved in waterlogged sites in Germany, while a pointed wooden object from Clacton-on-Sea dates to over 400,000 years ago. Recent research from Spain has documented extensive Neanderthal woodworking, including construction of various objects from wooden materials.
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