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This individual, SH-14, lived in Saima de Las Huso's cave in Spain around 500,000 years ago
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Likely, a homo-hydelbergensis child, aged 5 to 8 years, displays early signs of brain deformity
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the earliest such case in the fossil record. Remarkably, despite cognitive challenges
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this individual received care, challenging many assumptions about the origin of compassion in prehistory. Compassion, a vital human emotion, encompasses empathy, love, and self-sacrifice
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rooted in hormonal, and neural processes. It's not exclusive to humans. Animals like dolphins
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and primates display altruistic behaviors. However, in humans, compassion goes beyond mere moments
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It involves both feeling for others and being motivated to help them. Helping others triggers the
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release of oxytocin in our brains, generating a sense of well-being. Evolution links compassionate
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motivations to collaboration, which is crucial in environments with predators. Human compassion uniquely
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extends into the long term. We can regulate compassion, bringing it into rational thought and planning
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for the well-being of others. It forms the basis of close human social relationships and acts
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as the glue that holds society together. Compassion in humans is diverse
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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
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One example of compassion and care in prehistory is a female homo ergister
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KNM, ER1808, dating back around 1.5 million years. She suffered from a disease called hypervitaminosis, which would have caused severe symptoms
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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
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In Georgia's Damonezzi site, there's an old fossil of an early Homo erectus
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around 1.77 million years old. This person, represented by the skull D344 and associated jaw D3,900, had lost all their teeth
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except one. This suggests they survived by eating soft plant and animal foods. The question is
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whether they got help from others to access this diet. Comparing this to apes, tooth loss like this
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has been seen in chimpanzees due to injuries. However, the injuries in apes are usually inflicted
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over time or during their adult life. What's interesting about the Dmanaceae individual
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is that they had congenital abnormalities but did not survive into adulthood. This is different from
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apes, or severe congenital abnormalities are rare. Neanderthals, whose paleontological records, display significant traumas and potential impairments. A well-known example comes from the
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Neanderthals, specifically the old man of Shinneeder. He suffered multiple fractures and a head
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injury causing blindness and brain damage. Remarkably, these injuries occurred in adolescence
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but healed by the time of his death, around 35, 50 years later, this suggests that he received
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long-term care from different individuals within the Neanderthal group. Many Neanderthals and early humans cared for their sick or injured members
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Studies show evidence of long-term care dating back to around 190,000 to 160,000 years ago
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in a sample of 19 Neanderthal individuals, researchers found that 60% of those, with traumatic
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injuries, showed some level of healing. Additionally, there was a low rate of infection supporting the idea of caregiving
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The healing times for these injuries were estimated to be around four to six weeks suggesting a prolonged period of needing care and support Even after healing individuals might have had reduced abilities and required support for a longer time
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This care was not limited to adults. There is evidence of care for Neanderthal children, too
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Early modern humans from the Upper Paleolithic period also exhibited cases of extensive care
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for individuals with disabilities. For example, Romito II, a child from late Upper Paleolithic
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Italy, had a severe disability and was cared for by the entire group until their death at around
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17 years old. Some individuals with physical abnormalities, including children, were given special
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attention and elaborate grave goods indicating care and respect for their well-being. Even newborns
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were buried, suggesting care extended to those who hadn't actively contributed to the group
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yet. This evidence highlights the compassionate nature of our ancient ancestors. Early humans showed signs of caring for others in diverse ways
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One way was by being willing to take risks or endure pain to help someone else
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This shows compassion not just towards those who are sick, but in situations where there's a potential danger
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In the past, when humans had to compete with predators for food or hunt large animals, it was risky
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However, evidence suggests that they were successful because they worked together and took risks for the group's benefit
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Our ancestors Homo erectus, with highly dependent infants and their mothers, collaborated in scavenging for meat and taking care of pregnant females and young ones
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They showed a sense of care for each other. Around 500,000 years ago at Box Grove, there's evidence that early humans were consciously taking risks in hunting large animals
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They used weapons and planned for hunting, even though it was dangerous. This suggests a high level of trust among the group members
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Moving forward to the time of Neanderthals between 112 and 143 years ago there evidence that they planned and showed care for each other they organized hunts and many of them suffered serious injuries
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In terms of emotions, evidence from burials suggests they shared grief. For example, at Semade Las Hussos in Spain, the deliberate placement of bones in a pit
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indicates a shared expression of grief. Later, with more formal burials, like Taban in the West Asia
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it shows that even in death, they cared for their fellow humans. Although it's not clear if they believed in an afterlife
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the act of burying their dead suggests a shared emotional connection. Some animals, including non-human primates, like chimpanzees
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usually show altruism by helping kins or those who can help them in return
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However, humans often help strangers without any immediate benefit for themselves. Some studies suggest that chimpanzees might be more altruistic than we thought
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like rescuing others from drowning or adopting unrelated orphans. Chimpanzees, though, seem to struggle with altruism
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in competitive situations, or when sharing food, especially meat. For humans, helping others, especially the young ones
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became crucial due to our unique life history. Humans have a longer period of dependency after weaning
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and we depend on the support of the group, not just the mother. This makes humans cooperative breeders
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The shift to this cooperative breeding pattern happened as early humans started consuming more meat
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The difference between apes and early humans might not be as big as we think
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Instead of seeing ancient human altruism as proof of moral values, it's better to consider it as part of the adaptations that made humans successful and prolific
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In our evolutionary past, compassion was a social advantage. Collaborative efforts and helping others offered benefits, contradicting the selfish gene concept
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Being kind had advantages in certain social environments, challenging the idea of purely self-serving behavior
