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Neanderthals are a group of humans who existed long before the homo sapiens, the modern humans. They were believed to have lived in parts of Asia and Europe. Then, in 2018, a skull of a Neanderthal woman was found in Shanidar Cave, located in Iraqi Kurdistan. That is what the scientists used to reconstruct the face of what this 75,000-year-old Neanderthal woman would have been.
Image and YouTube Video Credit: Scientists recreate what a Neanderthal woman looked like 75,000 years ago | Newsround
Who Was Shanidar Z?
Since this 75,000-year-old Neanderthal woman was found in Shanidar cave, she was named “Shanidar Z.” Her skull remains were found with over 200 pieces after she died, because several heavy rocks fell on her flattening each part.
A team from the University of Cambridge and Liverpool John Moores University meticulously pieced together all of it to recreate her skull. Although they have not completely recreated the full facial structure of Shanidar Z, it was enough for the next group of experts to finally offer a glimpse into the face of someone who lived 75,000 years ago using old and new technology.
Read more: University of Cambridge
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How Did They Rebuild Her Face?
The people who assembled the skull described the process as “a high-stakes 3D jigsaw puzzle.” To be able to do this, they have to CT scan each fragment of the skull, then piece it together one by one.
After they finish putting all the fragments they have together, they then recreate it again with a 3D printer to have a more complete model. After that, it was handed over to paleoartists Adrie and Alfons Kennis. What they did next was amazing.
They started studying and analyzing the facial structure of Shanidar Z, then began adding fabricated muscle and skin to her skull. To finish it off, they put a wig on her. This is how the face of the Neanderthal woman who lived 75,000 years ago was believed to look like.
What Does This Tell Us?
Despite a very careful and thoughtful process, most people on social media do not believe that is how Neanderthal women back then looked. The majority even commented and think that “that is a dude”.
However, what we should really focus on is not how attractive her face is compared to modern standards, but how they look more like homo sapiens than previously thought.
Shanidar Z’s face has softer features, suggesting to scientists that they might not look too different than us, the modern humans, even back then. Reminding you that this skull was from 75,000 years ago.
This also led some people to believe more that there really was some interbreeding between homo sapiens and Neanderthals. Supporting the reason why there are a lot of people with traces of Neanderthal DNA in their genetic makeup.
Read more: BBC News
Author's Final Thoughts
The story of Shanidar Z bridges the gap of time between ancient humans and modern science. Thanks to improvement not only in our technology, but in our historical knowledge, we could understand more about how we all come to be in this planet, and the people who have come before us.
References & Further Reading
Pomeroy, E., et al. (2020). New Neanderthal remains associated with the ‘flower burial’ at Shanidar Cave. Antiquity. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2019.207
University of Cambridge. (2024). Revealed: face of 75,000-year-old female Neanderthal from cave where her people buried their dead. University of Cambridge. https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/shanidar-z-face-revealed
Archaeology Magazine. (2024). Archaeologists reveal face of 75,000-year-old Neanderthal woman from Shanidar Cave. Archaeology. https://archaeologymag.com/2024/05/face-of-75000-year-old-neanderthal-woman-revealed/
Live Science. (2024). Neanderthal woman’s face brought to life in stunning reconstruction. Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/neanderthal-womans-face-brought-to-life-in-stunning-reconstruction
Discover Magazine. (2024). Reconstructing a Neanderthal skull that was flattened like a pancake. Discover. https://www.discovermagazine.com/reconstructing-a-neanderthal-skull-that-was-flattened-like-a-pancake-46188
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