Neanderthal fossil shows spear wound to heart in Iraqi Kurdistan
Researchers at the University of Cambridge report that a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal skeleton found in Iraqi Kurdistan bears a fatal spear wound to the chest.
Fatal injury on fragile bone
A small circular hole measures 15 millimeters across the shoulder blade. This opening indicates a wooden weapon passed through the chest and struck vital organs. The bone remained intact despite being buried under seven and a half meters of rock.
Evidence of prehistoric violence
Scientists believe this wound represents one of the oldest cases of deadly interpersonal conflict involving a spear. The injury suggests an attacker deliberately targeted the heart area with a sharpened wooden weapon. Such precise trauma is rare in the hominin fossil record.
Signs of past care
The individual survived an earlier devastating facial injury before dying from the spear wound. This sequence implies other members of the group provided medical support or protection. The discovery offers new insight into social behaviors among Neanderthals.
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