1st Proof of civilization?

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Acclaimed physician Brand described a lecture given by Margaret Mead that he attended. Boldface added to excerpts by QI

Margaret Mead died in 1978, and the accuracy of this anecdote depends on the memory and veracity of Brand.

Evidence of earliest civilization

To [Margaret Mead], evidence of the earliest true civilization was a healed femur, a leg bone, which she held up before us in the lecture hall. She explained that such healings were never found in the remains of competitive, savage societies. There, clues of violence abounded: temples pierced by arrows, skulls crushed by clubs. But the healed femur showed that someone must have cared for the injured person—hunted on his behalf, brought him food, and served him at personal sacrifice.

The Original QI post added this context:

A primordial human who fell and broke a femur (thigh bone) would have faced terrible odds of survival. A vulnerable individual who was unable to walk and gather food would probably expire.

[ref] 1980 Copyright, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: A Surgeon Looks at the Human and Spiritual Body by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey, Chapter: Bones: A Frame, Quote Page 68, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Verified with scans) [/ref]