Neanderthal skeleton found in Iraq shows evidence of ancient compassionate care

Researchers have discovered a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal skeleton in a cave in Iraq that displays evidence of both extreme physical trauma and long-term community care, New Scientist reported. The remains show a severely smashed jaw that had healed, alongside a spear hole through the shoulder blade. [1]

According to New Scientist, the hole in the shoulder blade of the individual, known as Shanidar A, was caused by a wooden spear and likely proved fatal. However, survival after the massive earlier jaw injury would only have been possible with sustained support from others, according to researcher Emma Pomeroy at the University of Cambridge. [1]

Neanderthals were named after the Neander Valley near Mettmann, Germany, where the first recognized fossils of the species were discovered in a limestone cave in 1856. [3]

Pomeroy stated that the long-term survival of the individual following such severe dental trauma provides early evidence of compassion and social care among Neanderthals during the Palaeolithic era, New Scientist reported. [1]