<\/p>\n
Close-up of the healed sharp-force injury on the left mandible of the Qafzeh 25 individual from Qafzeh Cave, Israel. Bone remodeling around the lesion indicates the early Homo sapiens survived the injury, making it one of the oldest known healed facial wounds in the archaeological record. (Pantoja-P\u00e9rez, A., Mart\u00edn-Franc\u00e9s, L., May, H., Hershkovitz, I., & Sala, N.\/CC BY-NC-ND 4.0<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n Violence Arose from Territorialism<\/p>\n The victim is one of at least 27 early modern people whom archaeologists have uncovered in burials at Qafzeh, notes Ana Pantoja-P\u00e9rez, the study\u2019s lead author and a member of the DEATHREVOL research group, a grant project of the European Research Council carried out at the Centro Nacional de Investigaci\u00f3n sobre la Evoluci\u00f3n Humana \u2013 CENIEH (Spain). She believes that the findings add new evidence to the debate over how complex human behaviors regarding health, violence, and funerary practices developed. Other graves in the cave contained the remains of children with varied health conditions. There was a high infant mortality rate due to environmental factors, malnutrition, and disease. The chance of accidental death or harsh living conditions was high, and hereditary factors made children vulnerable to illness.\u00a0<\/p>\n The victim\u2019s skeletal remains, dated to between 92,000 and 145,000 years ago, are unique. They show a healed jawbone injury consistent with sharp-force trauma. Study co-author Israel Hershkovitz suggests that violence possibly arose in \u201cthe early emergence of territorialism, as inferred from the establishment of a graveyard in the cave.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The entrance to Qafzeh Cave near Nazareth, Israel. Excavations at this Middle Paleolithic site uncovered some of the earliest Homo sapiens fossils found outside Africa, including individuals showing evidence of intentional burial and healed traumatic injuries. Source: (LS\/CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>) \u00a0<\/p>\n Advanced Imaging Technology Cracks the Stone Age Cold Case<\/p>\n The study report details a broad range of advanced imaging technologies<\/a>. Researchers used \u201can integrated macro-, microscopic, and micro-computed tomography analysis that revealed a linear lesion affecting the left mandible and third premolar, consistent with an injury caused by a sharp object.” Further examination of the fracture and thickened bone margins showed that the injury had healed, and the stabbing victim continued to live. Researchers identified dental pathologies, <\/a>such as carious lesions and enamel defects, that demonstrate biological vulnerability and hereditary factors.\u00a0<\/p>\n Conclusion<\/p>\n Pantoja-P\u00e9rez notes that the case represents one of the earliest documented examples of sharp-force trauma in the archaeological record. The researchers also did a taphonomic study to investigate the physical, biological, and chemical processes that affect an organism\u2019s remains, including decomposition, scavenging, and fossilization. The \u201ctaphonomic study<\/a> confirmed that Qafzeh-25 was deliberately buried, reinforcing previous interpretations of the site as a place of formal burials in the early Late Pleistocene<\/a>.\u201d The study emphasizes that interpersonal violence, care for the sick or injured, and burial customs are the keys to understanding how human society and culture evolved.<\/p>\n Top Image: Left lateral view of the Qafzeh 25 skull from Qafzeh Cave, Israel. Researchers identified a healed sharp-force injury to the mandible, providing one of the earliest known examples of survived facial trauma in Homo sapiens. (Pantoja-P\u00e9rez, A., Mart\u00edn-Franc\u00e9s, L., May, H., Hershkovitz, I., & Sala, N.\/CC BY-NC-ND 4.0<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n By Ramsey Hardin\u00a0<\/p>\n References<\/p>\n Bower, John Hawks. “A Healed Wound on an Ancient Jaw Reopens the Question of Violence Among the First Homo sapiens.” Anthropology.net, July 2026.https:\/\/www.anthropology.net\/p\/a-healed-wound-on-an-ancient-jaw<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Davis, Joshua Rapp Learn. “100,000 Years Ago, One of the Earliest Homo sapiens Outside Africa Was Stabbed in the Face, Analysis Finds.” Live Science, July 8, 2026.https:\/\/www.livescience.com\/archaeology\/human-evolution\/100-000-years-ago-one-of-the-earliest-homo-sapiens-outside-africa-was-stabbed-in-the-face-analysis-finds<\/a><\/p>\n Hasson, Nir. “Human in Israel Smashed in the Face with a Rock 100,000 Years Ago.” Haaretz, July 10, 2026.https:\/\/www.haaretz.com\/archaeology\/2026-07-10\/ty-article\/human-in-israel-smashed-in-the-face-with-a-rock-100-000-years-ago\/0000019f-46b1-dc56-adff-6ef3b75d0000<\/a><\/p>\n Hovers, Erella, Shimon Ilani, Ofer Bar-Yosef, and Bernard Vandermeersch. “An Early Case of Color Symbolism: Ochre Use by Modern Humans in Qafzeh Cave.” Current Anthropology 44, no. 4 (2003): 491\u2013522.\u00a0<\/p>\n Killgrove, Kristina. 2026. \u201c100000 years ago, one of the earliest Homo sapiens outside Africa was stabbed in the face, analysis finds.\u201d Live Science. https:\/\/www.livescience.com\/archaeology\/human-evolution\/100-000-years-ago-one-of-the-earliest-homo-sapiens-outside-africa-was-stabbed-in-the-face-analysis-finds<\/a><\/p>\n Moeed, Abdul. 2026. \u201c100,000-Year-Old Human Fossil Holds Earliest Evidence of Stabbing – GreekReporter.com.\u201d Greek Reporter. https:\/\/greekreporter.com\/2026\/07\/09\/human-fossil-earliest-evidence-stabbing\/<\/a><\/p>\n Pantoja-P\u00e9rez, Ana, Laura Mart\u00edn-Franc\u00e9s, Hila May, Israel Hershkovitz, and Nohemi Sala. “A Taphonomic Reassessment of Qafzeh 25 and Its Implications for Violence, Health and Funerary Practices.” Scientific Reports (2026). Accessed July 10, 2026. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41598-026-58670-0<\/a><\/p>\n Radley, Dario. “90,000-Year-Old Homo sapiens Jaw Wound Points to Possible Violence in Early Human Groups.” Archaeology Magazine, July 8, 2026.https:\/\/archaeologymag.com\/2026\/07\/homo-sapiens-fossil-healed-sharp-force-injuries\/<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sankaran, Vishwam. 2026. \u201cMan from 100000 years ago may be earliest victim of stabbing in face.\u201d 2026. The Independent.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n