Pieced together from 52 fragments found in cave in northern Spain, 430,000-year-old skull seems to show victim was bludgeoned to death

Scientists have pieced together the world’s earliest murder mystery, showing that an ancient human appears to have met their end after being bludgeoned to death and thrown down a cave shaft.



The skull, which has two holes above the left eye, belonged to an early human closely related to Neanderthals who lived around 430,000 years ago. The discovery suggests that violence and murder long predate the emergence of modern humans, around 200,000 years ago.

The skull was pieced together from 52 fragments found in an underground cave at the Sima de los Huesos archeological site in northern Spain. The almost complete skull shows clear evidence of two serious impacts. The scientists found no evidence that any healing had taken place around the holes, indicating that the blows were either fatal or occurred after death.

Nohemi Sala, a palaeontologist who led the analysis at the Institute of Health Carlos III in Madrid, said: “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.”

Assuming that the murder thesis is correct, the latest analysis could shed light on the significance of other finds at the Sima de los Huesos. In 2013, scientists reported on the discovery of more than 28 early human skeletons, all excavated from the same cave. Since the site is only accessible via a 13m vertical shaft – and there is no evidence that it was used as a dwelling place – questions have arisen about how the skeletons ended up there in the first place.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Pieced together from 52 fragments, the skull has two puncture wounds above its left eye, suggesting the victim was bludgeoned to death. Photograph: PR

The discovery of an individual who appears to have been murdered would seem to rule out the possibility that the shaft was acting as a death trap. “It’s not possible to have an accident down there if you’re already dead,” said Sala.

Instead, it is likely that the bodies were carried to the cave entrance and dropped down the shaft after they were killed by fellow humans, according to the paper in PLOS One.

This suggests that early humans began burying – or at least collecting – their dead far earlier than thought. Previously, scientists had found evidence that Neanderthal bones from up to 15 bodies, dating back around 225,000 years, may have been deliberately placed in Pontnewydd cave in Wales.

The researchers said that finding evidence for brutal violence among early humans was not altogether surprising. “Violence is a very usual behaviour for animals,” said Sala. “It’s not surprising that interpersonal violence took place.”

The apparent use of a murder weapon, even if it was only a stone, and the apparent repeated blows to the head hints that humans were turning their increasingly sophisticated intellect towards violent ends as well as towards cooperation and survival.

“It implies a clear intent to kill,” said Sala.