When I say earliest I don’t mean a neanderthal that some scientist found to be beaten over the head. I mean an actual account of somebody doing the deed. I was also curious about the first murder in the bible. (christian)
The first murder in the Bible would be Cain killing Abel (the sons of Adam and Eve) in Genesis 4 - if the literalists are to be believed, this would have happened a little less than 6000 years ago
I don’t have a clue about the first recorded murder in history, but as far as the bible goes, it’s pretty easy.
Genesis 4:8 (NIV)
As far as historical murders go, it could be tricky - do wars count as murder?
IIRC, the oldest bit of writing we have is the epic of gilgamesh (I’m probably wrong about this - I’m sure someone will correct me) in which gilgamesh kills loads of people… he was a warrior, though, so it probably doesn’t count as ‘murder’
I read the first killing in the Bible was God killing that deer to make clothing for Adam and Eve.
He’s asking about “murder”, not “killing”. Killing a deer isn’t the same thing as “murder”.
I agree. i was just being persnickety.
Some folk consider any death killing.
Not quite, it is, I believe, the oldest work of fiction. I posted a question on GQ a good while ago about what the absolute oldest text was. It’s an Egyptian stone tablet that says: “mountain of light.”
That being said, I believe I have a winner!
Probably one of the older murder scenes is that of Lindow Man, who was beaten and garroted to death in an English peat bog somewhere between 50 and 100 A.C.E.
When the body was first discovered in 1984, it was originally reported and examined by police as a recent murder.
You know, in the bible, I’m surprised Adam’s son wasn’t more Abel to defend himself.
Actually, Sofa King, I think I’ve got yours beat by about 3000 years. I’m talking, of course, of Otzi who is believed to have died after having been shot by an arrow.
Actually, jovan, I think I’ve got yours beat by another 4000 years. Kennewick Man, discovered in Washington State in 1996, is believed to be 7600 years old. Various injuries to the skeleton indicate that he had numerous ribs broken, other bones damaged, and (most indicting) an arrowhead in his hip.
Topic One
In re Abel: In the 1966 Dragnet movie, Sgt. Joe Friday is verbally blistering a child-molester who found a loophole to allow him to get away with raping little girls, then playing mind-games with the police (probably leaving the children’s anguished parents little recourse but to hunt him down with a firearm). :mad:
Friday said in the course of his disquisition, “Like every hood from Cain down to Capone you’ve learned to hide behind some quirk in the law…”
[n]Topic Two**
Originally posted by Mangetout
But the latest announcement in a scientific treatise or journal shall be taken literally, because they said so, right? 
Topic One
In re Abel: In the 1966 Dragnet movie, Sgt. Joe Friday is verbally blistering a child-molester who found a loophole to allow him to get away with raping little girls, then playing mind-games with the police (probably leaving the children’s anguished parents little recourse but to hunt him down with a firearm). :mad:
Friday said in the course of his disquisition, “Like every hood from Cain down to Capone you’ve learned to hide behind some quirk in the law…”
Topic Two
Originally posted by Mangetout
But the latest announcement in a scientific treatise or journal shall be taken literally, because they said so, right?
Excuse me…:o The browser posted the first effort before I could make a correction :o