Since its discovery and initial description in the 1960s, the penetrating lesion to the left ninth
rib of the Shanidar 3 Neandertal has been a focus for discussion about interpersonal
violence and weapon technology in the Middle Paleolithic. Recent experimental studies
using lithic points on animal targets suggest that aspects of weapon system dynamics can
be inferred from the form of the bony lesions they produce. Thus, to better understand the
circumstances surrounding the traumatic injury suffered by Shanidar 3, we conducted …