Shanidar 1

Shanidar 1, also called the “Old Man” of Shanidar, is a neanderthal found in the Shanidar cave located in Kurdistan, Iraq and lived about 45,000 to 60,000 years ago. His skull was discovered by German archeologist Dr. Ralph Solecki in the 1950’s. The evidence Solecki found changed the whole way we think about neanderthals. He found by looking at Shanidar 1’s skull that he was physically and sensory disabled, as he couldn’t even see or hear well, but still lived for about 50 years. That means he probably had neanderthal buddies that helped him survive for a long time, a characteristic we didn’t think neanderthals had. Also his grave was covered with flowers. You can see he was treated for his injuries from just looking at his skull. The Post-Mortem Facial Reconstruction comes to the picture with Kathleen Gallo, who under the direction of Dr. Janet Monge, reconstructed the face of Shanidar 1 with the method, and by using a mold of the skull made by Wenner Gren Foundation of Anthropological Research.This method of reconstruction involves attaching pegs to the cast indicating different thicknesses of tissue, and using clay to model the shape based on specific points that define the contours of the human face. For example, in the case of a Neandertal, anthropologists know that there is greater muscle mass around the mouth and jaw and larger teeth than in modern humans. In the next step, the forensic artist reimagines the face, based on the structure of the skull, the position of various features, and what we know about the age and sex of this particular Neandertal. The artist uses oil-based plasticine clay, which will not harden, and adds details to the skin such as pores and wrinkles. She coats the piece with silicone, which will pick up the face in complete and meticulous detail, and a plaster cast is made. The re-creation of the neanderthal is located in the Sphinx Gallery at the Penn Museum.