Mysterious hole in Neanderthal shoulder blade may have been a 'kill shot' from a wooden spear, according to archaeologists - Live Science

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New fossil evidence from a Neanderthal burial site could be an early example of homicide among the species — but anthropologists say there’s more to the story.

The angle and force of the blow would have likely severed arteries and pierced a lung. A small puncture wound through a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal shoulder blade may be the earliest evidence of death by spear on humanity’s family tree. Given forensic details such as the entry angle and overall damage, researchers believe the injury was made as an intentionally fatal “heart shot” that killed the ancient hominin within moments. The discovery is detailed in a study published today in the journal Scientific Reports.

In this excerpt from "Neanderthals Among Us," author Peter Sahlins looks at the way Neanderthal extinction theories are often engrained with our own societal fears.

We Homo sapiens are pretty damn proud of our tool-making prowess. From smartphones to the humble-yet-mighty wheel, our ability to craft objects to help us attain our goals is something that we've often thought defines us as a species. But tens of thousands of years ago, Homo sapiens were not the only humans with a wide arsenal of tools. In a recent dig at a significant Neanderthal site in Barcelona, Abric Romaní, archaeologists have unearthed a massive cache of wood imprints, several of which appear to be tools. The findings, recently published in Science Advances, suggest our extinct Paleolithic relatives were actually skilled and prolific woodworkers. Of the 597 wood imprints the team discovered, 13 are clearly modified tools and other domestic objects. One of the most exciting objects identified was a wooden club, which seems to have been deliberately shaped for whacking stuff. It's reminiscent of the classic 'caveman' costume prop, but archaeologists have never actually seen anything like it in the prehistoric record. Photograph of the club-shaped impression. (M. D.

Archaeologists are currently excavating a large area at one of Norway’s most spectacular burial sites: the Hunn burial ground in eastern Norway. On what is known as the South Field, there are many well-known circles of standing stones. Archaeologist Anne Lene Melheim points out the stone circles that have stood here for more than 2,000 years. Alongside the already known stone circles, archaeologists have now uncovered what they believe to be additional stone circles that had remained hidden beneath the topsoil. The discovery was made in a new area near what is known as the West Field. Anne Lene Melheim on her way out to the South Field at Hunn.