Scientists Find Evidence of 'History's First Murder'

Newser ^ | May 28, 2015 5:35 AM CDT | Rob Quinn

[Sopater]

An examination of ancient remains from a cave in Spain turned into an episode of CSI: Middle Pleistocene when scientists found evidence of what they say is the first known murder. The skull found in the "Pit of Bones" site belongs to a young adult who lived around 430,000 years ago and bears what researchers say are unmistakable signs of deadly violence, reports Forbes, which notes that the scientists have assembled enough evidence to convince a modern jury that the early human was likely killed by a right-handed attacker who hit the victim in the head twice with some kind of object—and it wouldn't take a prehistoric Columbo to deduce that the murder weapon was probably a rock.

This is the "earliest evidence of lethal interpersonal violence," the researchers write in the journal Plos One—and they note that the evidence of murder could explain why that body and 27 more were lying at the bottom of a cave shaft, apparently placed there by others. Given what's known of human behavior in the intervening 430,000 years, the scientists weren't too startled to find that the early humans they're studying were bashing each other over the heads with rocks. "Violence is a very usual behavior for animals," the lead researcher tells the Guardian. "It's not surprising that interpersonal violence took place." (Another ancient Spanish cave yielded the burial site of a "queen of the Stone Age.")

[Forty-Niner]

They only banned “Assault Rocks” regular rocks were OK if used for sporting or hunting purposes only......course you still had to fill out all the paperwork and wait 10 days before taking possession...........

[jimbug]

Nope. First murder was Cain on Abel—pre-Flood.

[ETL]

"People don't kill people. Rocks do."

[ETL]

"I am, like, totally in favor of rock control."

[Ouchthatonehurt]

[clearcarbon]

"This just in. Scientists say a liberal tried to ban rocks 430,000 years ago."

That's why writing was invented. Rocks had to be registered.

[ETL]

Please...this is serious. I lost a dear friend of
mine to a rock attack.

[ExCTCitizen]

Did the victim’s family riot? Did the ancestor of Al Sharpton protest on behalf of the victim? Was he going to be a inspiring rapper?

[ExCTCitizen]

And I saved 15% percent by switching to GEICO for my cave. 😊

[Political Junkie Too]

The other cavemen were given space to destroy.

-PJ

[nevergore]

Obviously this was the first known instance of police violence against a minority.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks ETL. Obviously illegals had crossed over the Strait of Gibraltar.

[SunkenCiv]

Lethal wounds on skull may indicate 430,000-year-old murder

[ETL]

Thanks. Will take a look later. Getting ready to leave house now.

[ETL]

Still raining in NY. Might stay home.

[Jamestown1630]

LOL!

But higgmeister’s thought was my first thought, too - how do they decide it was murder, and not warfare?

-JT

[mbj]

No.

The flood would have obliterated those traces.