Lethal wounds detected on 430,000-year-old human skull

Scientists in Spain have detected what could be lethal wounds on a human skull dated to be 430,000 years old, which they believe points to the first documented murder in the history of the human race.

The findings that are published in the magazine "Plos One" relate to Cranium 17, which was reconstructed from 52 fragments recovered from the famous "pit of bones" in the Atapuerca site close to the Spanish city of Burgos.

The skull, which belongs to a member of the species that are thought to be closely related to the Neanderthals, showed evidence of two serious blows to the head which had not healed, meaning they were either immediately fatal or the direct cause of death in the individual.

"It implies a clear intent to kill... We believe that violence caused the death of this individual. It would be very unlikely to break the cranium twice in nearly the same place, accidentally," explained Nahemi Sala, a paleontologist, who led the investigation at the Carlos III Health Institute in Madrid.

The fact that the remains of 27 other humans were recovered from the Pit of Bones implies that the bodies were deliberately dropped down there by others, either after they had died of natural causes, or in this case, were killed.

"It's not possible to have an accident down there if you're already dead," said Sala, adding "violence is a very usual behavior for animals, so it's not surprising that interpersonal violence took place."

Colonies of chimpanzees have been observed carrying out territorial raids and "wars" against neighboring groups and it is almost certain that similar behavior existed among early species of humans as they struggled for food and resources in a difficult environment. Endit