In the shadowy depths of a cave in northern Spain, archaeologists uncovered a 430,000-year-old skull with two distinct holes in its forehead—evidence of what scientists now consider the earliest known murder in the human fossil record.
Found among the remains of dozens of early Neanderthals in a deep vertical shaft called Sima de los Huesos, or “Pit of Bones,” this fractured skull told a story of deliberate violence long before modern civilization emerged. Researchers pieced the skull together from 52 fragments and used forensic tools to reconstruct the exact trajectory and cause of the fatal blows, opening a window into a lethal encounter from the Middle Pleistocene.
A Discovery Deep Underground
Cranium 17 was located at the bottom of a 13-meter (43-foot) deep shaft inside the Atapuerca Mountains. Since its discovery in 1984, the Sima de los Huesos site has yielded more than 7,000 fossilized bones from at least 28 individuals. The bodies appear to have been deliberately deposited in the pit, though the method and intent remain unclear.
Two Blows to the Head
The skull stood out because of two penetrating fractures above the left eye socket. Scientists used CT scans and 3D modeling to analyze the wound structure. They concluded that both blows were delivered by the same object from slightly different angles. The absence of healing and the location of the wounds suggest they were lethal and intentionally inflicted.
Forensic Science Reconstructs the Crime
Experts examined the fracture angles, bone crack patterns, and lack of healing to determine the injuries were perimortem—inflicted around the time of death. The placement of the blows, in the center of the face, matched patterns of interpersonal violence rather than accidental injury, which typically affects the sides of the skull.
Burial or Disposal?
Though the cause of death was likely homicide, the circumstances surrounding the body’s presence in the pit remain uncertain. Researchers have proposed that the pit may have served as a deliberate burial site. If so, this would also represent the earliest known funerary behavior in the hominin fossil record. But whether the body was hidden, discarded, or ceremonially placed is still unknown.
Buried in a Spanish cave, a shattered 430,000-year-old skull revealed what may be the world’s oldest known murder.
Found at the bottom of a deep vertical shaft with dozens of other ancient remains, it bore two fractures that forensic scientists say were not accidental…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/t2CWLmorVu
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) June 25, 2025