A 15mm hole found in a Neanderthal shoulder blade from a cave in Iraqi Kurdistan may be the earliest evidence of lethal violence involving a wooden spear, archaeologists say. The remains, belonging to an individual who died roughly 75,000 years ago, include the left shoulder blade, right hand, three ribs, and some teeth.
From the angle of the wound and other evidence, the researchers believe the spear entered the chest, passed through the body—likely damaging a lung and major blood vessels—and exited through the left shoulder blade, leaving a near-perfect hole.
Dr. Emma Pomeroy, study lead author from the University of Cambridge's Department of Archaeology, told BBC News that the wound may be the earliest evidence of "lethal interpersonal violence" from a wooden spear. "The fatal strike may have been an intended heart shot," she said.
The finding adds to emerging evidence that Neanderthal societies experienced more violence than previously thought. Neanderthals, a separate species of humans, went extinct around 40,000 years ago. They lived across Europe and western and central Asia, sometimes overlapping with Homo sapiens.
The research has not yet been peer-reviewed, and the full details remain to be published. The study, led by Pomeroy, is expected to appear in a scientific journal.