Cyprus, Nicosia

British scientists have recreated the appearance of a Neanderthal woman

07.05.2024 / 18:54

British scientists from the University of Cambridge have recreated the appearance of a Neanderthal woman who lived 75,000 years ago.

According to a statement on the university's website, the woman's skull was discovered in 2018 in the Shanidar Cave in Iraqi Kurdistan. Scientists believe that Neanderthals buried their dead there.

The skull bones of the woman, named "Shanidar Z," were severely fragmented. Thanks to the painstaking work of archaeologists, it was possible to reconstruct the face of the ancient human. To do this, scientists had to glue the found remains together with soil. Then, in the laboratory at Cambridge, scientists extracted over two thousand fragments of the skull and joined them together. The reconstructed skull was then scanned, and a copy was created using a 3D printer.

Scientists have determined that Shanidar Z was approximately 150 centimeters tall. Presumably, she was around 40 years old at the time of death, which was considered old for that time.

The recreated image of the woman can be seen in the documentary film "Secrets of the Neanderthals."