A death 430,000 years ago may be the first confirmed murder in human history. Scientists using modern forensic techniques have determined the victim was probably killed by two blows to the head before being tossed down a cave system shaft.

The truth of what occurred at the Sima de los Huesos (Pit of Bones) site in the Atapuerca Mountains, northern Spain, was revealed after researchers in Madrid pieced together 52 fragments of a near-complete skull.

Two holes close together above the left eye were caused by separate impacts from the same object. The injuries were not consistent with an accidental fall down the 43ft vertical shaft, the researchers from the Centre for the Evolution and Human Behaviour said. The Spanish and US-led international team concluded: “Given that either of the two traumatic events was likely lethal, the presence of multiple blows implies an intention to kill.”