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4,000-Year-Old Flint Arrow Lodged in Human Rib Reveals Direct Evidence of Prehistoric Violence
Arkeonews ^ | 18 July 2025 | Oguz Buyukyildirim

Posted on 07/20/2025 12:10:05 PM PDT by george76

In a discovery shedding light on prehistoric human conflict, archaeologists have found a flint arrowhead embedded in a human rib dating back more than 4,000 years. The remains were unearthed at Roc de les Orenetes, a high-altitude collective burial site in the Catalan Pyrenees (northeast Spain), situated over 1,800 meters above sea level.

This exceptional find—revealing direct evidence of interpersonal violence—was made during recent excavations led by Dr. Carlos Tornero from the IPHES-CERCA and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

This discovery provides a rare, tangible glimpse into the social tensions within early highland communities of the third millennium BCE. It stands as direct, almost forensic proof of interpersonal conflict—highlighting the critical value of archaeological research in uncovering not just how these people lived, but how they responded to violence and adversity.

A Violent Encounter in Prehistoric Times..

The arrow, shot from behind, struck a rib but didn’t kill the individual immediately. Instead, the bone showed signs of healing, suggesting the person survived the attack, at least temporarily. According to osteoarchaeologist Dr. Miguel Ángel Moreno (University of Edinburgh), this opens new possibilities for studying trauma, weapon types, and even the attacker’s position relative to the victim.

Further analysis is underway using X-ray microtomography and advanced biochemical techniques to learn more about the impact and healing processes.

...

A Burial Cave Tied to a Close-Knit Mountain Community

Roc de les Orenetes served as a burial site for over 60 individuals between 2200–2000 BCE, likely members of the same community. Excavations since 2019 have recovered more than 6,000 human bone fragments. The skeletal remains suggest a population of robust, physically active herders, deeply adapted to life in the mountains.

Earlier studies had already identified cut marks, fractures, and weapon-related injuries, but until now, it wasn’t clear whether the weapons had actually struck people or were simply grave goods. This embedded arrowhead offers the first unambiguous evidence of a violent encounter.

A Site of Ongoing Discovery..

First discovered in the 1960s, the cave has a long archaeological history. It was recently revitalized as part of the ARRELS/RAÍCES Prehistoric Roots Project, supported by the Catalan government, the town of Queralbs, and the Ripoll Ethnographic Museum.

...

The site is now considered one of the most important prehistoric high-mountain cemeteries in southern Europe—providing an unprecedented window into the lives, struggles, and resilience of early Pyrenean societies.


TOPICS: History; Society; TV/Movies; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: arkeonews; arrowhead; flint; godsgravesglyphs; oguzbuyukyildirim
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To: PIF

Bow control!!!


41 posted on 07/20/2025 3:35:36 PM PDT by central_va (The I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn...)
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To: george76

42 posted on 07/20/2025 3:37:31 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Verginius Rufus

Otzi was killed at altitude, too. Must be something about the ancients getting high.


43 posted on 07/20/2025 4:11:09 PM PDT by nicollo (Trump beat the cheat! )
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To: PIF

Just found out the latest fad in psychology is the “lizard brain” “reptilian brain” or simply the amygdala of the human brain is no longer thought to be the center of our violence to others. The basal ganglia and brainstem are merely part of the brain, not the major trigger centers for fear and violence.

That part of the brain is 500 million years old (inherited from fish) but supposedly all three parts of the modern brain are part of the urge to be violent. Limbic system and neocortex are the others.

Notice that lawyers care about this.

“The strategy directs the lawyer to trigger the reptilian brains of jurors so that they react instinctively to threats to themselves and their communities. When humans feel threatened, the reptilian brain, the most primitive part of the brain, takes charge and instinctively controls human conduct.” from....
https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/clevstlrev/vol65/iss3/8/#:~:text=The%20strategy%20directs%20the%20lawyer,and%20instinctively%20controls%20human%20conduct.


44 posted on 07/20/2025 4:13:01 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: Scrambler Bob

Quoting Red Foreman, “Not all hunting accidents are accidents.”


45 posted on 07/20/2025 5:09:48 PM PDT by Dutch Boy (The only thing worse than having something taken from you is to have it returned broken. )
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To: george76

All stone age tribes encountered by “Civilized” writers have been violent toward non-tribe peoples. Going back to ancient times.


46 posted on 07/20/2025 6:31:49 PM PDT by fella ("As it was before Noah so shall it be again," )
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To: george76

“It stands as direct, almost forensic proof of interpersonal conflict—highlighting the critical value of archaeological research in uncovering not just how these people lived, but how they responded to violence and adversity”

Really?

In other words keep the grant money flowing so we can continue to make wild speculation of life 4600 years ago that no one cares about other than us.


47 posted on 07/20/2025 7:02:42 PM PDT by DAC21
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To: george76

“It stands as direct, almost forensic proof of interpersonal conflict—highlighting the critical value of archaeological research in uncovering not just how these people lived, but how they responded to violence and adversity”

Really?

In other words keep the grant money flowing so we can continue to make wild speculation of life 4600 years ago that no one cares about other than us.


48 posted on 07/20/2025 7:02:55 PM PDT by DAC21
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To: george76

Or just a hunting buddy of Dick Cheney’s ancestor.


49 posted on 07/20/2025 7:36:04 PM PDT by Mr. Blond
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To: george76

Violence? No, no ,no, it was simply an accident caused by a negligent discharge of a bow.


50 posted on 07/21/2025 7:09:19 AM PDT by Mastador1
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