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Skull found in Spain could be the world's first-ever murder victim

The death 430,000 years ago in northern Spain was revealed after researchers in Madrid pieced together 52 fragments of a near-complete skull

John von Radowitz
Thursday 28 May 2015 12:32 BST
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Skull shows two lethal blows
Skull shows two lethal blows (PA)

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A death 430,000 years ago may be the first confirmed murder in human history. Scientists using modern forensic techniques have determined the victim was probably killed by two blows to the head before being tossed down a cave system shaft.

The truth of what occurred at the Sima de los Huesos (Pit of Bones) site in the Atapuerca Mountains, northern Spain, was revealed after researchers in Madrid pieced together 52 fragments of a near-complete skull.

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