Scientists Recreate Skull and Facial Features
Discovery of Shanidar Z
Archaeologists in England have unveiled the reconstructed face of a Neanderthal woman who lived 75,000 years ago. Dubbed Shanidar Z after the cave in Iraqi Kurdistan where her skull was discovered in 2018, the latest findings shed light on the 40-year-old Neanderthal who was buried in a sleeping position beneath a massive rock slab.
Excavation of the skeleton commenced in the 1960s by American archaeologist Ralph Solecki, who unearthed the remains of at least ten individuals. One body, surrounded by ancient pollen, prompted Solecki to posit a controversial theory of Neanderthal flower burials.
After decades of political instability, a team from the University of Cambridge and Liverpool John Moores University returned to the Shanidar Cave site in the Zagros Mountains of northern Iraq.
The Extinction of the Neanderthals
Neanderthals disappeared mysteriously around 40,000 years ago. Shanidar Z's skull – the best-preserved Neanderthal discovery this century – was two centimeters thick and bore signs of having been crushed, possibly by a falling rock after her death.
"We wanted to try to date the burials... to see if the site could contribute to the debate about why Neanderthals went extinct," said Professor Graeme Barker of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at Cambridge, who co-led the Shanidar cave excavations.
Shanidar Z is the fifth body identified under the rock shelter that was used for burials over several hundred years. Archaeologists believe the massive rock served as a landmark for Neanderthals returning to the site to bury their dead.
Professor Chris Hunt of Liverpool John Moores University suggests that repeated burials in the same location may have been a Neanderthal "tradition" and "a way of passing information between generations."
The Reconstruction Process
Paleoanthropologist Emma Pomeroy of Cambridge University, who originally discovered Shanidar Z, described the recovery of her skull and torso as "both exciting and terrifying."
The skeleton and surrounding sediment were consolidated in situ with adhesive before being packaged into dozens of silver-foil blocks. Conservator Lucia Lopez-Polin painstakingly reassembled over 200 skull fragments as the first step in facial reconstruction.
Pomeroy likened the task to "a 3D jigsaw puzzle on hard mode," with the delicate skull fragments as soft as "soggy biscuits." The rebuilt skull was then 3D-printed, which paleontologists used to complete the facial reconstruction with layers of muscle and skin.
According to Pomeroy, the Neanderthal skull looks very different from modern human skulls, "with huge brow ridges and no chin," but these "differences would have been less obvious in life." The professor emphasized the interbreeding between Neanderthals and humans, as "most people alive today have some Neanderthal DNA."
Summary
Archaeologists have reconstructed the face of a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal woman, providing insights into their physical appearance and burial practices. The discovery sheds light on the mysterious extinction of Neanderthals and underscores the genetic connection between humans and their ancient relatives.