100,000-Year-Old Jaw Shows Earliest Sharp-Force Trauma in Homo sapiens
Updated
Updated · Livescience.com · Jul 8
100,000-Year-Old Jaw Shows Earliest Sharp-Force Trauma in Homo sapiens
1 articles · Updated · Livescience.com · Jul 8
Summary
Microscopic and micro-CT scans of Qafzeh 25, an adult male buried in Israel, found a cut mark across the lower left jaw and a bicuspid, pointing to a sharp stone-tool injury.
The wound had healed, indicating he survived for a significant period after the blow, and its position on the left side of the face supports an interpretation of face-to-face interpersonal violence rather than accident.
Researchers said the injury, if correctly identified, would be the earliest documented sharp-force trauma in the archaeological record, dating to about 100,000 years ago.
Qafzeh cave, where at least 27 people were buried between roughly 145,000 and 92,000 years ago, already showed early funeral practices; the new finding adds evidence of violence, care for the injured and complex behavior outside Africa.
Healed from a 100,000-year-old stabbing, was this early human a victim of war or a beneficiary of prehistoric healthcare?
Was the 'peaceful' Stone Age a myth, with violence being a part of human nature from the very beginning?
The Earliest Evidence of Healed Violence in Homo sapiens: Qafzeh 25 and the Social Complexity of Middle Paleolithic Levant
Overview
In 2026, a groundbreaking study led by Ana Pantoja Pérez revealed the oldest known evidence of a healed sharp-force trauma in a Homo sapiens fossil, Qafzeh 25, discovered in Israel's Qafzeh Cave. The research provided a detailed look at a significant injury on Qafzeh 25's jaw, showing that the wound had fully healed and that the individual survived the traumatic event. This finding not only highlights early evidence of interpersonal violence but also suggests that Qafzeh 25 likely received care from their social group, offering new insights into the complex social behaviors of ancient humans.