Prehistoric arrowhead embedded in human rib reveals ancient violence in the Pyrenees over 4,000 years ago

A remarkable case of ancient violence has been discovered in a prehistoric burial site at 1,800 meters above sea level in the Catalan Pyrenees.

Prehistoric arrowhead embedded in human rib reveals ancient violence in the Pyrenees over 4,000 years agoFlint arrowhead embedded in a human rib, found at the Roc de les Orenetes site (Queralbs, Ripollès). Credit: Maria D. Guillén / IPHES-CERCA

Archaeologists found a flint arrowhead embedded in the rib of a human skeleton, an unequivocal and unusual testimony to conflict in the region more than 4,000 years ago. The injury has definitive signs of healing, suggesting that the individual lived for some time after the attack before eventually dying.

The discovery was made at the Roc de les Orenetes archaeological site in Queralbs, Girona, northeastern Spain. The arrow had been sH๏τ from the back and remained lodged in the rib bone, which continued to heal later—a clear indication that the victim survived the wound.

Prehistoric arrowhead embedded in human rib reveals ancient violence in the Pyrenees over 4,000 years agoFlint arrowhead embedded in a human rib, found at the Roc de les Orenetes site (Queralbs, Ripollès). Credit: Maria D. Guillén / IPHES-CERCA

Since 2019, excavations have been in progress at this high-alтιтude collective burial site under the direction of Dr. Carlos Tornero of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the Insтιтut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA). The skeletal remains are being examined by Dr. Miguel Ángel Moreno of the University of Edinburgh.

Prehistoric arrowhead embedded in human rib reveals ancient violence in the Pyrenees over 4,000 years agoArchaeological excavation work in June at the Roc de les Orenetes site (Queralbs, Ripollès). Credit: IPHES-CERCA

The arrowhead will also undergo further investigation at the National Research Centre on Human Evolution (CENIEH) in Burgos using X-ray microtomography. Chemical and genomic analyses will then be carried out in laboratories in Barcelona and the United States.

Roc de les Orenetes is one of the few European high-mountain burial sites that contains such a large and well-preserved collection of human remains. It is an extraordinary source of information on the daily life, death, and social interactions—including instances of violence—of the Bronze Age communities residing in these mountainous regions.

Related Posts

Easter Island was not isolated: new study reveals Rapa Nui’s role in Polynesian culture

Easter Island was not isolated: new study reveals Rapa Nui’s role in Polynesian culture

Easter Island (Rapa Nui) has for decades been characterized as one of Polynesian culture’s most isolated and remote outposts, where the giant moai statues are located and…

Ancient DNA challenges 65,000-year timeline for human arrival in Australia, but experts remain divided

Ancient DNA challenges 65,000-year timeline for human arrival in Australia, but experts remain divided

A new study published in the journal Archaeology in Oceania has reopened a long-standing debate about when people migrated to Australia, suggesting a later arrival that overturns…

Lighthouse of Alexandria rises again as 22 mᴀssive blocks resurface from the seafloor after 2,000 years

Lighthouse of Alexandria rises again as 22 mᴀssive blocks resurface from the seafloor after 2,000 years

After centuries underwater, 22 huge stone blocks of the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, have been recovered from the…

Rare medieval knight tombstone discovered in heart of Gdańsk

Rare medieval knight tombstone discovered in heart of Gdańsk

A team of archaeologists from ArcheoScan has unearthed a unique medieval tombstone depicting a knight during an excavation in the historic center of Gdańsk, Poland. The tombstone…

Roman cavalry swords lead to discovery of Iron Age settlement and possible Roman villa in Gloucestershire

Roman cavalry swords lead to discovery of Iron Age settlement and possible Roman villa in Gloucestershire

A recent archaeological discovery near Willersey, Gloucestershire, has uncovered an Early Iron Age to Roman-period settlement following the discovery by a novice metal detectorist of two extremely…

Copper Age infant discovered in Italian well reveals rare genetic origins

Copper Age infant discovered in Italian well reveals rare genetic origins

Archaeologists in northeastern Italy have discovered a remarkable find in a well near Faenza, close to Ravenna: the highly degraded remains of an infant who lived 4,000…