The Shanidar cave sits in the Zagros mountains of the Kurdish autonomous region of Iraq, in a border region between Iran and southeast Türkiye. Within the cave is one of the longest-debated collections of Neanderthal remains.
Researchers at Liverpool John Moores University, the University of Cambridge, and the University of London collaborated to reinvestigate one of the site’s most debated findings, the “Flower Burial.” Pollen found in a Neanderthal burial has been previously hypothesized to be evidence of a floral grave offering.
In a paper, “Shanidar et ses fleurs? Reflections on the palynology of the Neanderthal ‘Flower Burial’ hypothesis,” published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, the team lays out the case for the pollen found in the grave sites being of non-human placement, likely by bees.
Through his excavations in Shanidar Cave in the 1950s and 1960s, Ralph Solecki put forward the “Flower Burial” hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, the Neanderthal known as Shanidar 4 was placed on a bed of flowers, possibly for medical reasons, as a mark of affection, or as a sign of respect.
This hypothesis had a transformative impact on the understanding of Neanderthals, challenging their previous characterizations as entirely brutish and suggesting they were capable of empathy and care.
2023-08-31 15:00:04
Post from phys.org