Named Shanidar Z, her skeleton had been buried by tens of thousands of years of sediment before first being uncovered in 2018. When experts from Cambridge University and Liverpool John Moores first discovered her skull, it had been flattened to around 2cm thick. It had been crushed, possibly by rockfall, relatively soon after death, meaning more than 200 pieces were pieced together freehand to return it to its original shape.
Dr. Emma Pomeroy, a paleoanthropologist from Cambridge's Department of Archaeology, highlights the similarities revealed in the recreated face of Shanidar Z, suggesting easier interbreeding between Neanderthals and humans with shared DNA.
Using tooth enamel proteins and teeth wear levels, the team determined Shanidar Z's sex as female in her mid-forties, significant age then. Her stature, bone structure, and small arm sizes further indicate femininity.
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