A Neanderthal Was Killed by a Wooden Spear 75,000 Years Ago in What Could Be a Prehistoric First

A 75,000-year-old Neanderthal skeleton from Iraqi Kurdistan shows signs of a possible fatal wooden spear wound, which may be one of the earliest known injuries of its kind in a human ancestor.

The skeleton, called Shanidar A, belonged to an adult estimated to have died at around 45. It bears two injuries. An earlier blow to the face split a lower front tooth and knocked neighbouring teeth out of alignment. Thick tartar on the damaged tooth suggests the person lived with it for at least a year, perhaps much longer.

The later wound was far more serious. A nearly circular hole about 15 millimeters across pierced the left shoulder blade, with no sign of healing, so it likely occurred around the time of death. Using CT scans, researchers found bone fragments that pointed to a downward strike. Emma Pomeroy, a University of Cambridge archaeologist who led the study, said that early wooden spear technology "absolutely works for this wound". The researchers cannot rule out a projectile other than a spear, but they consider a wooden spear more plausible than an arrow, and it may have been an accident during hunting.

Shanidar A was buried in Shanidar Cave alongside at least four other Neanderthals, three adults and an infant, in a space barely larger than a bathtub. The bodies were placed at different times, separated by thin sediment layers, which suggests that Neanderthals repeatedly returned to the same spot. A large upright boulder may have served as a landmark. Earlier claims that the dead were buried with flowers have been questioned by a 2023 study that linked the pollen to nesting bees.

The find adds to a wider picture. A 2015 study identified possible lethal blows on a 430,000-year-old skull from Spain. A 2025 study dated carefully crafted wooden spears from Germany to around 200,000 years ago. The findings were published in Scientific Reports.

Key points

• Shanidar A's shoulder blade has a round hole of about 15 mm, with no sign of healing.
• The wound may have come from a wooden spear, which Neanderthals already used widely.
• A tooth injury suggests the individual survived for at least a year, likely with help from others.
• The remains lay in a cave burial spot used repeatedly over years or decades.
• The spear wound may be an unusually early case of fatal injury from a wooden weapon.