Archaeologists have discovered numerous fossil skulls of prehistoric humans and ancient animals. However, strangely, some of these skulls have perfectly round holes, as if they had been shot through by bullets.
Nearly a century ago, a Swiss miner searching for metal ore deposits in limestone caves in Kabwe, Zambia, discovered a prehistoric skull dating back between 125,000 and 300,000 years. It was the first fossil discovered in Africa to exhibit characteristics of Homo sapiens.
But there was an even bigger surprise. This prehistoric skull had a small, circular hole on its side, which forensic scientists believe could only have been created by an object traveling at extremely high velocity, such as a bullet hole.
This mystery became even more complicated when an ancient bison skull with identical characteristics was discovered. These discoveries led to much speculation that contradicted our preconceived notions.
This prehistoric skull has a small, circular hole on the side.
Kabwe skull
This skull, found in Kabwe (also known as Broken Hill) , is one of the most important and well-known human fossils in Africa. Discovered in 1921, it has long been the subject of considerable study and discussion among paleontologists.
According to the Smithsonian Institution, the Kabwe prehistoric skull was initially believed to be the first example of a new hominid species called Homo rhodesiensis, and is estimated to be around 300,000 years old. It had a large skull with a cranial volume comparable to that of modern humans, approximately 1,300 cubic centimeters.
A variety of methods, including CT scans and 3D modeling, have been used to study the Kabwe skull, revealing data about its anatomy and evolution. It is considered an important fossil for studying the early evolution of human lineages in Africa.
It was later classified as Homo heidelbergensis , although more recent studies have shown that this skull has some features that show similarities to modern Homo erectus, Homo neanderthalensis, and Homo sapiens. But many other scientists suggest that the owner of this skull may have been the product of interbreeding between different hominid species in ancient times.
It looks like it was shot through by a bullet.
But the combination of its unique features isn’t all the mystery of the Kabwe skull. It was also discovered to have a small, perfectly round hole on the left side of the skull, as well as a fractured section on the opposite side.
This suggests it was likely shot through by a bullet, the bullet entering from the left and penetrating the skull with such force that it completely shattered the right side.
Oddly, the presence of these very unusual features is absent from descriptions of the Kabwe skull on the Smithsonian Institution’s website, as well as the Natural History Museum in London, even though their photographs clearly depict the hole in the skull.
What could have caused the hole in Kabwe’s skull?
Although it was commonly believed that the hole could have been caused by an arrow or a high-speed projectile, investigations have proven this to be impossible.
As The Shields Gazette explains: “When a skull is struck by a relatively low-velocity flying object—such as an arrow or spearhead—it will create radial cracks or fractures; that is, tiny, hair-thin fractures running away from the point of impact.” However, this skull lacked radial cracks, leading many to conclude that the object that caused the hole must have been traveling at a much higher velocity than an arrow or spearhead.
According to David Hatcher Childress’s book , Technology of the Gods: The Incredible Sciences of the Ancients , a German forensic expert came to an even more intriguing conclusion: “This skull injury could not have been caused by anything other than a bullet.”
This skull is at least several thousand years old.
Researcher Rene Noorbergen, who investigated the mystery in Secrets of the Lost Races, also agrees with this view, stating: “This characteristic is also seen in victims with head injuries from being shot with a modern high-powered rifle.”
If this speculation is correct, it means the Kabwe skull may have been shot recently by modern humans, or otherwise it may have been shot by a civilization with advanced technology from ancient times.
However, the first hypothesis is unlikely; in fact, the skull was found beneath layers of sediment at a depth of 18.2 meters below the surface, confirming that it is at least several thousand years old.
It hasn’t been close enough to the ground to be shot down accidentally or intentionally in recent decades.
The skull belonged to a European bison, an extinct species of intelligent livestock that lived between 2 million and 4,000 years ago. Like the Kabwe skull, the hole in the European bison skull also lacks radial fractures caused by spears or arrows.
This prehistoric skull is currently on display at the Museum of Paleontology in Moscow, and it certainly couldn’t have been hit by a bullet in the more modern era, as the calcification around the bullet hole suggests that this European bison survived the wound for some time afterward.
This prehistoric skull is currently on display at the Museum of Paleontology in Moscow.
What is the real reason for these bullet holes?
Many theories and speculations have emerged, such as the idea proposed by The Shields Gazette that : ” someone from the future, carrying a gun, traveled back in time and participated in some kind of time-traveling hunting expedition,” to the slightly more plausible suggestion that these circular holes were caused by fragments from a small meteorite or something similar.
Conspiracy theorists, however, argue that ancient peoples may have developed technology to a very high level. But could two separate societies, separated by thousands of years and with vast cultural distances, have simultaneously invented weapons capable of firing small, cylindrical projectiles at high speeds?
Some experts and scientists suggest that these holes may have been created due to pathological damage , or in other words, formed as a result of internal medicine or infection of the skull. This would be a plausible explanation considering that many diseases or viruses from that era have disappeared today. Over thousands of years, many organisms have evolved to become immune to these ancient viruses.
However, none of the hypotheses are supported by sufficient evidence or logic. Unless more prehistoric skulls or fossils with the same type of injury are discovered, we may never get the real answer to the mystery of the Kabwe skull.
