Face of Neanderthal woman buried in Iraqi cave 75,000 years ago revealed
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Experts who study ancient human remains have managed to recreate an image of a Neanderthal female who lived around 75,000 years ago. She resided in a cave where these extinct beings probably carried out some exclusive burial practices.
The remains of a Neanderthal female, who goes by the name Shanidar Z, were discovered in 2018 within a cave located in Iraqi Kurdistan. The area may have served as a burial site for her people who continuously came back to lay their loved ones to rest.
Research conducted since the 1950s has indicated that the Neanderthals practiced burial of their deceased inside caves, and performed various funeral customs such as arranging the bodies on a bed of flowers.
Actually, the findings discovered from this cave location initially implied that Neanderthals were much more advanced than commonly believed due to their strong build and animalistic forehead linked with this prehistoric type of person.
Despite the fact that Neanderthals went extinct approximately 40,000 years ago and had skulls with notable variations from that of modern humans, based on the facial reconstruction of a female Neanderthal believed to have been in her forties upon her passing, it appears as though they possessed human-like features.
The newly released documentary titled Secrets of the Neanderthals, produced by the BBC and now available on Netflix globally, presents the latest discoveries.
Dr. Emma Pomeroy from Cambridge University's archaeology department stated that the Neanderthal skulls have enormous brow ridges and do not have chins, which creates a midface that causes the nose to stand out more. However, the face that was reconstructed indicates that these distinctions were not as drastic while they were alive.
She went on to say: "It is likely more understandable how breeding occurred between our two species. This is evident by the fact that nearly everyone who is alive today possesses DNA from Neanderthals."
According to experts, the preserved body parts of a female Neanderthal are one of the most well-maintained fossils discovered in the current century. The remains contain a skull that is flattened to almost 2 centimeters in thickness.
It is believed that her skull was flattened, maybe due to falling rocks, shortly after she passed away, possibly after her brain deteriorated, but before her cranium was packed with soil.
The Cambridge researchers took great care to uncover the remains of the subject, revealing her skeletal structure down to her waist. They applied a substance similar to glue, known as a consolidant, to reinforce the bones and sediment surrounding them.
The "flower funeral" cave's core was dug up to a depth of around 7.5 meters to uncover Shanidar Z. It was carefully extracted in small blocks wrapped in foil during the excavation process.
They reconstructed her skull, comprised of over 200 fragments, to restore its original form, incorporating both upper and lower jaws.
Dr. Pomeroy, who is featured in the latest documentary, explained that it's similar to a challenging and complicated 3D puzzle with a lot at stake. It may take more than two weeks to analyze just one block.
The scientists conducted a surface scan on the reconstructed skull and utilized 3D-printing technology to create a physical model. In addition, they added synthetic muscle and skin layers to produce a visual representation of what her face may have looked like.
The examination of the excavation indicates that Shanidar Z was buried in a channel created by flowing water, which was then manually shaped to fit her remains.
She was positioned with her back against the side, her left hand resting under her head, and a rock was used as a support for her head.
The fifth skeleton of a woman was discovered amongst a group of bodies buried together at the same time, all located behind a tall rock in the cave's center standing at two meters.
The scientists also uncovered burned food remains that consisted of toasted wild seeds and nuts in the earth near where the group of bodies were discovered. This indicates that the Neanderthals possibly cooked their food while being in close proximity to their deceased companions.
Dr. Pomeroy mentioned that the remains of Shanidar Z were found close to people who were alive and using fire to cook and eat. It seems that for the Neanderthals in that community, the line between being alive and dead was not clearly defined.
According to the archaeologist Graeme Barker, who directed the excavation project at the cave, our findings reveal that the Shanidar Neanderthals may have pondered the concept of death and its consequences in a manner that resembles how our evolutionary relatives, humans, think about it.
According to the researchers, the Neanderthals may have utilized the cave as a reference point as it seems to have been an exceptional location for recurring burials.
Dr. Pomeroy has observed that Neanderthals are returning to a certain area to perform burials. This may happen over a long span of time, ranging from several decades to even thousands of years. The question arises as to whether this is simply coincidental or intentional. If it is intentional, what is the underlying reason for their return?
