Archaeologists from the University of Cambridge and Liverpool John Moores University have reconstructed the face of a Neanderthal woman who lived 75,000 years ago, challenging long-held beliefs about the appearance and sophistication of our ancient relatives.
Piecing Together a Shattered Skull
The remains of the Neanderthal woman, named Shanidar Z after the cave in Iraqi Kurdistan where her skull was discovered in 2018, had been crushed into approximately 200 fragments, likely due to a rockfall shortly after her death. Dr. Emma Pomeroy, a paleoanthropologist from the University of Cambridge, likened the reconstruction process to a “high-stakes 3D jigsaw puzzle.”
Meticulous Reconstruction Process
Despite the challenges, the research team painstakingly reassembled the skull fragments, reinforcing them with a glue-like consolidant before carefully removing them in small, foil-wrapped blocks for further analysis. The reconstructed skull served as the foundation for a lifelike facial reconstruction by acclaimed paleoartists Adrie and Alfons Kennis, revealing Shanidar Z’s appearance to the world for the first time.
Challenging Perceptions of Neanderthals
The facial reconstruction suggests that Neanderthals may have been more similar to modern humans than previously believed. Although Neanderthal skulls are known for distinct features such as prominent brow ridges and the absence of chins, Shanidar Z’s reconstructed face indicates that these differences may have been less pronounced in life.
Implications for Interbreeding
This discovery raises fascinating questions about the extent of interbreeding between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. Dr. Pomeroy points out that “almost everyone alive today still has Neanderthal DNA,” suggesting a closer relationship between the two species than once thought.
The groundbreaking reconstruction of Shanidar Z’s face, featured in the Netflix documentary “Secrets of the Neanderthals,” sheds new light on our understanding of these ancient humans and their place in our evolutionary history.
