# 75,000-Year-Old Neanderthal Stabbing Reveals Empathy

> A Neanderthal's 75,000-year-old stabbing wound shows they cared for each other.
- Title: 75,000-Year-Old Neanderthal Stabbing Reveals Empathy · VICE
- Summary: A Neanderthal's 75,000-year-old stabbing wound shows they cared for each other. A Neanderthal with a 75,000-year-old spear wound needed communal help to…
- Keywords: neanderthals, shandidar a, scientific reports, stabbing, spear wound, communal care, news, culture, 000-Year-Old, Neanderthal, Reveals, Empathy
- Source: VICE — https://vice.com/en/article/why-this-75000-year-old-stabbing-victim-is-changing-how-we-see-neanderthals
- Author: Luis Prada
- Published: 2026-10-18T02:15:09+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: neanderthals, shandidar a, scientific reports, stabbing, spear wound, communal care, news, culture
## Neanderthal Stabbing Discovery
A 75,000-year-old Neanderthal skeleton found in Shanidar Cave, Iraq, shows a fatal spear wound.
## Spear Wound Details
The wound likely came from a wooden spear that pierced the chest, lung, and heart before exiting the back.
## Neanderthal Empathy Evidence
Severe facial trauma with mangled teeth suggests Shanidar A needed communal help to eat and recover.
## Communal Care Need
Researchers say Shanidar A likely needed food mashing and rest from group members during recovery.
## Key takeaway

A Neanderthal with a 75,000-year-old spear wound needed communal help to survive, revealing empathy.