by Carlos MARINHO

Before the rise of city-states, fighting was physiological. Archaeological evidence—such as cave paintings dating back to 10,000 BCE in sites like Tassili n'Ajjer—depicts figures in grappling postures. Combat was "total," involving biting, eye-gouging, and strangulation. Primitive fighting was rooted in the kinesthetics of survival. There was no formalized "technique," but rather the utilization of natural levers—such as using body weight to suffocate or pin—to ensure the success of the hunt or the protection of offspring.

Neanderthal and early human remains showing healed traumas indicate that hand-to-hand combat was frequent. However, the lack of standardization in these fractures suggests there was no "method," only the chaos of survival. Before 3000 BCE, no written "treatises" existed. The evidence is purely visual (rock art) and biological (osteology). These cave paintings are humanity's oldest "manuals," proving that physical struggle was a central part of the human experience thousands of years before the first Pharaoh.

Rock Art Evidence

In Tassili n'Ajjer (Algerian Sahara, c. 6000 – 4000 BCE), we find the world's oldest records clearly associated with fighting. Some paintings portray human figures engaged in close-quarters combat; they are not merely pushing each other, but are depicted in grappling stances that mirror the modern clinch. Some figures appear to be executing throws or takedowns. [1][2]

Similarly, the Les Dogues Shelter (Spain, Mesolithic, approx. 6500 – 5000 BCE) contains paintings of men in dynamic combat poses. While often interpreted as hunting scenes, an analysis of the figures' biomechanics suggests a mastery of guard postures and balance. Levantine art in this region shows organized, strategic confrontations between groups. As communities became more sedentary through agriculture, the defense of territory became a catalyst for conflict, reflected in their art through organized attack and defense gestures. [3][4]

Osteological Records: The Evidence in the Bone

Forensic archaeology provides brutal, technical proof that fighting was a reality. In Mesolithic and Neolithic sites, researchers have found skulls and forearms with "defensive fractures." A fracture of the ulna (the "parry fracture") suggests the individual raised their arm to block an overhead strike—indicating a trained or instinctive defensive reaction to percussive attacks.

The Kennewick Man (North America, c. 7000 BCE) offers a global comparative example. His skeleton features a stone projectile point (Cascade style) lodged in the iliac bone. The wound healed, proving he survived for years after the trauma. This reveals not only physical resilience but the capacity for societies to manage survival amidst chronic interpersonal violence and social tension.

The Fossilized Gesture

From the Paleolithic to the Neolithic, the human experience left behind a trail of conflict visible in both art and bone. Fighting emerged as one of the first structured forms of body communication, mediating threat, dominance, and cooperation. In this sense, cave paintings are "material fossils" of embodied technical thought, where the body was simultaneously the instrument, the language, and the memory.