Face of woman believed to have lived in the Paleolithic Age reconstructed in 3D
Scientists have created a 3D model of what a female Neanderthal, estimated to have lived 75,000 years ago in the Paleolithic Age, looked like when she was alive.
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Researchers reconstructed the face with the help of 3D technology after piecing together skull bones found in Shanidar Cave in Iraq.
The reconstructed representative face was featured in a documentary on a global digital streaming platform.
In 2015, a group of British experts, who were invited back to Shanidar Cave—where 10 skeletons of Neanderthals, who went extinct 40,000 years ago, were found in the 1950s—encountered a new skeleton dubbed "Shanidar Z," which included most of the individual's upper body, including the spine, shoulders, arms, and hands.
TOOK MORE THAN 1 YEAR
Researchers stated that after the skull fragments were brought to the United Kingdom with the permission of the Department of Antiquities in Iraq, a laborious process of separating, consolidating, and reassembling the bones began, and that completing the complex skull took more than a year.
'AN EXTRAORDINARY SITUATION'
Graeme Barker, a professor at the University of Cambridge who led the new excavations at Shanidar, stated, "The journey of the skull from that point to what you see now is a remarkable one. As an archaeologist, you can sometimes get weary of the work you do, but every now and then you are confronted with the reality that you are touching the past. We forget how extraordinary that is."
It was noted that after the reconstructed skull underwent a surface scan, its 3D print was made by Dutch artists Adrie and Alfons Kennis.
Researchers concluded that the remains belonged to a woman based on the size of the skeleton and certain dominant proteins found in the tooth enamel associated with female genetics, as the pelvis was missing.
The woman, estimated to have lived 75,000 years ago in the Paleolithic Age, is believed to have died in her mid-40s due to her teeth being worn down almost to the roots.
'THERE ARE SIGNS'
Furthermore, Emma Pomeroy, who works at the University of Cambridge on depicting prehistoric life based on scientific evidence, commented, "There are signs of poor dental health, such as some infections and gum diseases. I think she was approaching the natural end of her life at that time."