Neandertal skeletal remains reveal evidence of care and violence

Anthropologist Emma Pomeroy and her colleagues from the University of Cambridge discovered evidence of complex social behavior among Neandertals in the Shanidar Cave, located in northern Iraq.

The researchers analyzed skeletal remains from a person who lived approximately 75,000 years ago. These findings challenge previous myths about the species while providing new insights into how they interacted with one another. The team identified two distinct types of trauma on the bones of an individual who was roughly 45 years old.

One injury involved a split front tooth and a shifted jawbone. Because the tooth was covered in tartar, researchers determined the individual survived for at least a year after this trauma. The researchers suggest that surviving such a severe injury would have required significant care and support from other Neandertals, who likely provided food and protection to the injured person. A second, fatal injury was found on the shoulder blade.

The bone features a hole consistent with a strike from a wooden spear. The researchers believe this wound was likely a deliberate strike aimed at the heart rather than a hunting accident. These findings suggest that Neandertals engaged in both communal care and lethal violence. The study also notes that while Neandertals were previously associated with flower burials in this cave, those accounts were likely caused by wild bees depositing pollen rather than intentional human actions.