News Archaeology

New cave fossils have revived the debate over Neandertal burials

Part of an adult Neandertal’s skeleton was found in a manner that suggests intentional burial

Neandertal fossils in Shanidar Cave

Newly discovered Neandertal fossils in Iraqi Kurdistan’s Shanidar Cave, including this rib cage, support a controversial claim that Neandertals intentionally buried some of their dead, researchers say.

Graeme Barker

By Bruce Bower

- More than 2 years ago

The excavation of an adult Neandertal’s partial upper-body skeleton in Iraqi Kurdistan has revived a decades-long debate over whether Neandertals intentionally buried their dead.