A fascinating three-dimensional reconstruction of a… distant relative of ours, who lived on Earth 75,000 years ago, has been achieved by scientists.
All they had at their disposal were the crushed remains of a skull, whose bones when excavated were so soft they looked like “soggy biscuit.”
The researchers first had to strengthen these fragments before reassembling them, and then expert paleontologists created the 3D model.
The final depiction will appear in a new BBC Studios documentary for Netflix called ‘Secrets of the Neanderthals’, which gives a new look at what we need to know about ancient cousins we who evolved as a species about 40,000 years ago.
The skull on which the model was based was found in cave Sanidar in Iraqi Kurdistan. The remains of at least 10 Neanderthal men, women and children have been discovered there since the 1950s.
The skull fragments were flown to the UK to begin the painstaking process of stabilizing and then reassembling them.
Completing the complex puzzle took about a year of work.
Two experienced Dutch artists, Adrie and Alfons Kennis, known for their ability to faithfully recreate effigies of ancient humans with bones and original “matter” fossils, undertook the recreation.
Using a series of clues and discoveries – from height to some proteins, detected on tooth enamel the research team has concluded and is now absolutely convinced that this is a “woman”.
“Old” in her 40s
But how old was she? She probably died at age 40, again indicated by the condition of her teeth.
In fact, scientists consider that the woman has reached normal (biological) end of his life.
For a long time, scientists considered Neanderthals brutal and “simplistic” compared to our species.
But this view gradually diminished after the discoveries at Sanidar Cave.
The cave in question is famous, among other things, for a alleged funeral practice. The bodies, according to the findings, were carefully placed in a stream near a high rock. All the dead had the same orientation as to how they were placed.
Flowers betray ritual
Pollen found on a skeleton has led some scientists to speculate that these Neanderthals may have been buried with flowers, perhaps suggesting an indication of some early faith.
However, the British team believes it is more likely that the pollen was left there by bees or by flowering branches placed on top of the bodies being buried.
Professor Chris Hunt, from Liverpool John Moores University, told the BBC: “I would hesitate to use the word ‘burial’, I think I would use the word ‘placement’ to avoid the religious connotations. But there is absolutely no doubt that (Neanderthals) maintained a specific burial ritual.”