A new documentary has recreated the face of a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal found in Iraqi Kurdistan. The flattened skull was rebuilt from hundreds of bone fragments by a team of archaeologists and conservators led by the University of Cambridge. Secrets of the Neanderthals, produced by BBC Studios Science Unit, is released on Netflix worldwide.
The rebuilt skull was surface scanned and 3D-printed, forming the basis of a reconstructed head. New analysis strongly suggests that this Neanderthal was an older female, perhaps in her mid-40s according to researchers – a significant age to reach so deep in prehistory.
Without pelvic bones, the team relied on sequencing tooth enamel proteins to determine her sex. Teeth were also used to gauge her age through levels of wear and tear – with some front teeth worn down to the root. At around five feet tall, and with some of the smallest adult arm bones in the Neanderthal fossil record, her physique also implies a female.
Visit www.cam.ac.uk/stories/shanidar-z-face-revealed for the full story and more photos.