Researchers who discovered bones dating back 75,000 years confirmed that Neanderthals in Iraq were not the stereotypical cave dwellers lacking intelligence; rather, they may have been capable of both violence and emotion, according to a report by the British "Sky News".
The British network reported that these new conclusions came after the discovery of a partial Neanderthal skeleton, considered our closest ancient relatives, in a cave in Iraq, including part of its left shoulder, some ribs, almost the entire right hand, and seven teeth.
The report noted that the shoulder bone includes a wound 1.5 cm deep, indicating it was subjected to a strong stab, possibly from a wooden spear, a weapon known to have been used by Neanderthals.
It was mentioned that this person, named "Shanidar A," was buried under 7.5 meters of rocks and sediment inside the cave in the Zagros Mountains and dates back to about 75,000 years.
The report cited biological anthropologist Emma Pomeroy from the University of Cambridge, who stated that the spear could "pass through the skin and major muscles, especially pectoral, as well as the ribcage, intercostal muscles, and lung," and that the type of injury indicates the hunting method used to kill animals quickly by inflicting a wound to the heart.
The report also quoted archaeologist Graeme Barker from the University of Cambridge, who has led excavations at Shanidar Cave since 2015, saying that interpersonal violence, whether from members of the same Neanderthal group or from competing groups, is the most likely explanation for what happened.
According to the report, researchers estimated the age of "Shanidar A" to be in his mid-forties, but they could not determine his sex.
It noted that "Shanidar A," one of five Neanderthal individuals—four adults and one infant—whose remains were discovered in the cave, had survived serious injuries at least a year prior to his death, as his teeth showed evidence of facial blows that led to the breaking of his front teeth.
Pomeroy explained, according to the report, that the pain he experienced was severe, adding that "basic needs like eating and drinking would have been difficult, meaning Shanidar would require food to be pureed and the ability to rest," pointing out that "Shanidar A" needed to receive some care from group members for his basic needs during recovery.
Pomeroy continued that the bones provide evidence "of two contradictory aspects of human nature: care and violence within the same individual," explaining: "We see evidence around us today that violence and care are aspects that reflect how we humans behave, and we see this here in Shanidar A as well."
She added that Neanderthals "were like us in many ways, whether good or bad, and this discovery highlights that, contrasting with the prevailing stereotypes about Neanderthals that portray them as unintelligent cave men and women lacking the capacity for emotion."
The report concluded by noting that Neanderthals lived as hunters and inhabited Eurasia from the Atlantic coast to the Ural Mountains for about 400,000 years until 40,000 years ago.