Fatal Neanderthal wound may be earliest evidence of a wooden spear attack on a human ancestor

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Researchers report a fatal wound in a Neanderthal scapula found among partial remains in a cave in Iraqi Kurdistan. They say the round hole may be the earliest evidence in the hominin fossil record of lethal interpersonal violence involving a wooden spear.

A round hole in the shoulder blade (scapula) of a Neanderthal whose partial remains were unearthed in a cave in Iraqi Kurdistan may be the earliest known example of lethal interpersonal violence with a wooden spear in the hominin fossil record.