Care and Compassion in Prehistory

Compassion in humans is diverse, reaching beyond close relationships to strangers, animals, and even abstract concepts. We can care for and protect a wide range of things, from pets to justice. One example of compassion and care in prehistory is a female Homo ergaster, K N M E R 1 8 0 8, dating back around 1.5 million years. She suffered from a disease called hypervitaminosis, which would have caused severe symptoms. Despite the challenges, she survived long enough for the disease to show in her skeletal remains. Experts believe that someone else took care of her, providing food and protection, highlighting a form of mutual support in early human groups. In Georgia's Dmanisi site, there's an old fossil of an early Homo erectus, around 1.77 million years old. This person, represented by the skull D3444 and associated jaw D3900, had lost all their teeth except one. This suggests they survived by eating soft plant and animal foods. The question is whether they got help from others to access this diet. Compared to apes, tooth loss like this has been seen in chimpanzees due to injuries. However, the injuries in apes are usually inflicted over time or during their adult life. What's interesting about the Dmanisi individual is that they had congenital abnormalities but did not survive into adulthood. This is different from apes, where severe congenital abnormalities are rare. Neanderthals, whose paleontological records display significant traumas and potential impairments. A well-known example comes from the Neanderthals, specifically the 'Old Man of Shanidar. He suffered multiple fractures and a head injury, causing blindness and brain damage. Remarkably, these injuries occurred in adolescence but healed by the time of his death, around 35-50 years later. This suggests that he received long-term care from different individuals within the Neanderthal group. One case involves a Neanderthal child the Cova Negra site in Spain, who survived to at least 6 years old despite having a severe inner ear condition, likely linked to Down syndrome. This condition would have caused significant hearing loss and balance issues. The level of care needed for such an individual would have been beyond what a single caregiver could provide, implying that the child's survival required help from other members of the social group. Many Neanderthals and early humans cared for their sick or injured members. Studies show evidence of long-term care dating back to around 190,000 to 160,000 years ago. In a sample of 19 Neanderthal individuals, researchers found that 60 per cent of those with traumatic injuries showed some level of healing. Additionally, there was a low rate of infection, supporting the idea of caregiving. https://doi.org/10.2752/175169610X127... https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0902614106