Neanderthal Woman Reconstructed from Shanidar Cave Discoveries

Archaeologists have pieced back together the skull of a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal skeleton unearthed at the Shanidar Cave site in Iraq.

Researchers from Cambridge University and Liverpool John Moores University meticulously reconstructed the skull of the Neanderthal woman named Shanidar Z.

The 2018 discovery was featured in the documentary ‘Secrets of the Neanderthals’ produced by the BBC and released on Netflix globally.

Shanidar Z’s skull, flattened to about two centimeters thick, had been crushed, possibly by rockfall, shortly after her death and further compacted over millennia.

Dr. Emma Pomeroy, a paleoanthropologist from Cambridge, led the team in reassembling over 200 skull fragments by hand with the help of tooth enamel sequencing.

Shanidar Z was likely a female Neanderthal in her mid-40s, with significant wear on her front teeth, suggesting a challenging diet.

The reconstruction revealed a human-like face, challenging the traditional image of Neanderthals as primitive creatures.

Remains of 10 other Neanderthals discovered in the cave site hint at sophisticated burial rituals among the Neanderthals.

A study led by Professor Chris Hunt from Liverpool John Moores University indicated that the cave pollen was from bees, not flowers laid with the dead.

Microscopic food evidence pointed to the Neanderthals’ food preparation near burial sites, indicating a blurring of lines between life and death.

This unique discovery sheds light on the complex behaviors and practices of Neanderthals thousands of years ago at Shanidar Cave.