Where Violence Left Its Mark

139 lesions across 41 individuals — Cemetery 117, Jebel Sahaba, ~13,000 BCE

Blunt Force Trauma
29
All blunt force impacts concentrated on the skull. The frontal bone was struck in 48% of cranial lesions. Evidence of close-range killing blows.
Defensive Fractures
50
84.8% of all fractures are on the arms and shoulder girdle. Parry fractures of the forearm dominate: the signature of arms raised to block a blow. Women show the highest rate at 88.9%.
29 8 12 14 14
Trunk Wounds
8
Mixed injury types including embedded stone projectile fragments. 20% of all embedded lithics were found in the trunk.
Projectile Impacts
52
44.3% of all projectile marks concentrated in the lower body. The femur alone accounts for 94.1% of drag marks — stone points lodged in the thigh bones of victims shot while fleeing.
Blunt force — skull
Defensive fractures — upper limbs
Mixed wounds — trunk
Projectile impacts — lower body
139
Total Lesions
41
Individuals Affected
61%
With Projectile Wounds
39%
Survived Multiple Attacks
Source: Crevecoeur et al. (2021). Scientific Reports 11, 9991. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89386-y