He lived 75 thousand years ago… They recreated his face

#lived #thousand #years #ago.. #recreated #face

The face of a middle-aged Neanderthal woman who died 75,000 years ago and was found in a cave on the outskirts of Iraq has been recreated.

Sozcu.com.tr

Published: 02 May 2024 – 16:00 Updated:

Thanks to technology, scientists can access a lot of information about life thousands of years ago. They can even reveal what a Neanderthal woman looked like.

The skeleton, named Shanidar Z, had been buried for tens of thousands of years before it was first unearthed in 2018. When experts from the University of Cambridge and Liverpool John Moores first discovered the skull, it had flattened to a thickness of about 2cm. Therefore, it is estimated that he may have died due to a rockfall.

Now that face has been recreated as part of a new Netflix documentary called Secrets of the Neanderthals.

Palaeoanthropologist Dr Emma Pomeroy, from Cambridge’s Department of Archaeology, said: “The skulls of Neanderthals and humans look very different. Neanderthal skulls have large brow ridges and no chin; a protruding midface leads to more prominent noses. But the recreated face shows that these differences were evident in survival.” It shows that it’s not that sharp after all.”

The team used sequencing of tooth enamel proteins to determine the sex of the skeleton, which was believed to be female and in its mid-forties, without pelvic bones. Teeth were also used to measure age through levels of wear and tear; Some front teeth were worn down to their roots.

To extract the skeleton, the team used a combiner to strengthen the bones and surrounding sediments. They then extracted Shanidar Z from under the rock in dozens of small foil-wrapped blocks.

Regarding the difficulty of the work, Dr Pomeroy said: “As each skull piece is gently cleaned, glue and binder are reintroduced to stabilize the bone, as the bone can be very soft, like a biscuit dipped in tea. It’s like a high-stakes 3D jigsaw puzzle. It’s a single piece.” “It may take up to two weeks for the block to be processed.”

Further investigation since Shanidar Z was found has detected microscopic traces of charred food in nearby soil. This suggests that Neanderthals not only prepared and then cooked food, but also did so in front of their dead.

Dr Pomeroy spoke about their findings and the resulting face as follows: “Shanidar Z’s body was within arm’s reach of living individuals who cooked and ate with fire,” he said. There seems to be no clear distinction between life and death for Neanderthals. Just a coincidence or intentional? As an old woman, Shanidar Z is a repository of knowledge for her group, and we are still learning from her 75 thousand years later.”