Shanidar Cave - An Interesting Archaeological Site in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Abstract

Shanidar Cave is one of the most well-known caves in Iraqi Kurdistan Region. It is an archaeological site located within Bradost Mountain north of Erbil city. Eleven skeletons of Neanderthals, have been found within the cave dating back to 65000 – 35000 years, they were called Shanidar (1 – 11). The cave also contains two later "proto-Neolithic" cemeteries.

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UKH Journal of Science and Engineering | Volume 3 • Number 2• 2019
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UKH Journal of Science and Engineering | Volume 3 • Number 2• 2019
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Shanidar Cave - An Interesting Archaeological
Site in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Varoujan K. Sissakian1
1Department of Natural Resources Engineering and Management, University of Kurdistan Hewler, Iraq,
Corresponding author’s email: f.khajeel@ukh.edu.krd
Received: 30 April 2019 Accepted: 11 July 2019 Available online: 27 December 2019
1. INTRODUCTION
he Shanidar cave is an archaeological site
located within the Bradost mountain in the
Kurdistan Region, Iraq, as shown in
Figure 1. The cave is one of the most well-known
caves in the region owing to its archaeological
importance. It can be reached by a paved road
from Erbil city which leads to the foothills of
Bradost mountain.
Previous studies concerning the cave apart from
the archaeological investigations are very rare.
However, Al-Ameri et al., 2011, mentioned the
cave in a report dealing with the Middle
Paleolithic to Neolithic cultural history of North
Iraq. Mohammad et al., 2017, mentioned the cave
in a general report that deals with the cave
animals in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
The Shanidar cave is located in the Bradost
anticline within the Imbricate Zone of the Outer
Platform that belongs to the Zagros Thrust - Fold
Belt. It is a double plunging NW - SE anticline
where Jurassic rocks are exposed in the core,
whereas massive carbonate rocks of the
Qamchuqa Formation (Lower Cretaceous) form
the carapace of the mountain. Parts of the
northeastern limbs are thrusted over the
southwestern limb, giving a very complex
geological and morphological form to the whole
anticline (mountain) in the form of very steep
cliffs and high ridges (Sissakian and Fouad,
2014).
The aim of this study is to shed light on the
Shanidar cave and on its significance in the living
conditions and age of Neanderthals from the 11
skeletons found in the cave.
T
A B S T R A C T
The Shanidar cave is one of the most well-known caves in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq. It is an
archaeological site located within the Bradost mountain, north of Erbil city. A total of 11 skeletons
of Neanderthals have been found within the cave dating back to 65,000-35,000 years; they are
called Shanidar (1-11). The cave also contains two later “Proto-Neolithic” cemeteries. It was
formed by the dissolution of limestone beds of the Qamchuqa Formation that forms the carapace
of the Bradost mountain’s anticline.
Keywords: Neanderthal, Shanidar cave, Proto-Neolithic cemetery, Bradost mountain
REVIEW ARTICLE
Access this article online
DOI: 10.25079/ukhjse.v3n2y2019.pp1-9
E-ISSN: 2520-7792
Copyright © 2019 Sissakian. Open Access journal with
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No
Derivatives License 4.0
(CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

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UKH Journal of Science and Engineering | Volume 3 • Number 2• 2019
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Sissakian: Shanidar Cave - An Interesting Archaeological Site in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Figure 1. Location map of the Shanidar cave
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
To perform this study, tens of published articles
were reviewed. A field visit was carried out in
2012 to check some acquired data; unfortunately,
it was not possible to descend into the solution
hole in which the Neanderthal remains were
found owing to a lack of necessary logistics.
3. SHANIDAR CAVE
The Shanidar cave was developed among
massive carbonate rocks of the Qamchuqa
Formation (Lower Cretaceous) as shown in
Figure 2. Geologically, the cave is located within
the Imbricate Zone of Zagros Fold - Thrust Belt
(Fouad, 2012). The rocks of the Qamchuqa
Formation are limestone and dolomite (Sissakian
and Saeed, 2012). They are very hard and
massive, forming very rough and steep ridges
(Sissakian and Fouad, 2014).
The entrance to the cave is at an elevation of 737
m (a.s.l.), capped by very rugged cliffs about 400
m in height (Figure 3, Left), whereas the slope
along which the entrance is located has a gradient
of 44% (Figure 3, Right). These topographic
characters served as an excellent defense site for
the people who were living in the cave. The
maximum height of the entrance of the cave is
about 12 m as shown in Figure 4, with one large
chamber almost of a dome shape as seen in Figure
5. In the floor of the cave, which is about 1070 m2
(Solecki, 1975), the excavation debris of
archaeological studies can be seen.

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Sissakian: Shanidar Cave - An Interesting Archaeological Site in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Figure 2. Satellite image showing the Shanidar cave within the Bradost mountain.
(P) is the location of the car park
Figure 3. (Left) A photograph taken from the cave entrance of the car park area; the size of the car indicates a very steep slope. (Right) Steep
cliffs surrounding the cave
The cave can be reached via an artificial ladder
constructed from carbonate blocks of the
Qamchuqa Formation with many rest stations
constructed from woods of local trees as shown
in Figure 6. The height difference between the car
park (Figure 2) and the cave’s entrance is 450 m
(Figure 6). Two big holes and one small hole can
be seen in the ceiling of the cave (Figure 7, Left);
they might be artificial, created for ventilation
and/or lighting by sun rays. A deep solution hole
(sinkhole) exists in the floor of the cave with
many steps (Figure 7, Right). The hole was used
during
the archaeological excavation of the cave.
Solecki, 1975, described the Shanidar cave as
follows, “Shanidar Cave is in a mountain called
Bradost, overlooking Shanidar Valley. From the
cave mouth one can see the Greater Zab River, a
tributary of the Tigris. The cave is about 760 m
above sea level, was dissolved out of the
mountain’s limestone rock, originally laid down
by an ancient sea. It has a flat earthen floor, about
1070 m2 in area, and a high ceiling about 13.5 m
blackened with a centuries-old deposit of soot.”

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Sissakian: Shanidar Cave - An Interesting Archaeological Site in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Figure 4. The entrance of the Shanidar cave. (Left) From the outer reach.
(Right) From inside the cave
Figure 5. The main chamber of the Shanidar cave. (Left) Note the archaeological excavation debris at the left side.
(Right) Black stains (old soot) on the ceiling and side walls
Figure 6. Outer view of the Shanidar cave. Note the rocky ladder and wooden rest areas (encircled in red color)

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Sissakian: Shanidar Cave - An Interesting Archaeological Site in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq
4. ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDINGS
Many archaeological excavations were carried
out in the Shanidar cave from 1956 to 1961
(Solecki, 1961; Erik, 1983) (Figure 7, Right). The
remains of 11 Neanderthals, dating back 35,000
to 65,000 years, have been found. The first nine
skeletons (Shanidar 1-9) were unearthed during
1956 to 1961 by Ralph Solecki and a team from
Colombia University. The skeleton of Shanidar 3
is held in the Smithsonian Institution.
Figure 7. (Left) Three holes in the ceiling of the Shanidar cave. (Right) The archaeological excavations in the Shanidar cave. Note that the
solution cave was used as the main living chamber by the Neanderthals, and it was discovered during the excavations
The cave also contains two later "Proto-
Neolithic" cemeteries, one of which dates back
about 10,600 years and contains 35 individuals
(Solecki et al., 2004). The best known of all the
Neanderthals is Shanidar 1, who survived several
injuries during his life, possibly with care from
other members of his band, and Shanidar 4,
whose body lay beside a flower that can be
explained as evidence of burial rituals. For many
years, Shanidar 4 was thought to provide strong
evidence of a Neanderthal burial ritual. Soil
samples from around the body have been
collected for pollen analyses in an attempt to
reconstruct the paleoclimate and vegetation
history of the site. In two of the soil samples,
whole clumps of pollen were discovered in
addition to the usual pollen found throughout the
site suggesting that entire flowering plants have
entered the grave deposit as shown in Figure 8
(Lietava, 1992; Pettitt, 2002).
Figure 8. Spectacular drawing of a burial ceremony in the Shanidar cave.
Note the flowers and other plants around the grave. (photo from Edward, 2010)

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Sissakian: Shanidar Cave - An Interesting Archaeological Site in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq
In 2018, British and Kurdish archaeologists
uncovered the fossilized remains of two
Neanderthals in the Shanidar cave including two
complete skulls as can be seen in Figure 9.
Neanderthals are a species of humanoid thought
to have gone extinct 40,000 years ago. Scientists
believe that the Middle East region was a
migratory meeting point where Neanderthals
from present-day central Europe crossed paths
with modern humans. People were starting to use
this cave, probably Neanderthal people, about
120,000 years ago, maybe more, and they came
back again many times, over time (Edward,
2010).
Figure 9. Two skeletons excavated from the Shanidar cave (After Edward, 2010)
The archaeologists believe that Neanderthals
were in the cave during the warmest times of the
last Ice Age and in the warm period before that
Ice Age. They also think that Neanderthals came
to the region to hunt ibex (Figure 10), but they
also ate other kinds of animals such as tortoises.
Figure 10. Artistic drawings showing the life of Neanderthals (After Edward, 2010)

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Sissakian: Shanidar Cave - An Interesting Archaeological Site in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq
On the basis of the skeletons, bones, and other
remains discovered (Figure 11), Edward, 2010,
mentioned that Shanidar 3’s own story, however,
is grounded not in large evolutionary forces but
in particular circumstances. “There is quite a
severe and deep cut to a rib on Shanidar 3’s left
side, this cut would have been deep enough to
collapse his lung, so Shanidar 3 is the oldest
known individual who could have been
murdered.”
The more recent remains of Neanderthals found
in the Shanidar cave are those of three older adult
males (Shanidar 1, 3, and 5). They exhibit most
of the characteristics of the European
Neanderthals such as having stocky bodies,
projecting midfaces, and details of the ear region
that closely resemble those of their European
relatives. These similarities serve to extend the
geographic range of the Neanderthals across
Europe and into southwestern Asia.
Figure 11. Remains of Neanderthals discovered in the Shanidar cave by archaeologists (After Edward, 2010)
The remains consist of one younger and one older
male (Shanidar 2 and 4), two adult females
(Shanidar 6 and 8), and two infants (Shanidar 7
and 9). Most of these individuals were
intentionally buried between rocks in the cave
deposits. Shanidar 4, 6, 8, and 9 were found in the
same location on top of each other. Shanidar 2, 3,
and 5 appear to have been killed by rock falls that
had happened inside the cave which suffers from
solution activity (karstification). Shanidar 2 and 4
are generally similar to the later Shanidar
Neanderthals, but they exhibit faces that are more
archaic and strongly built, thereby documenting
the emergence of the Neanderthals from earlier
forms of humans in the Middle East. All of them

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Sissakian: Shanidar Cave - An Interesting Archaeological Site in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq
have the typical massive bodies of archaic
humans.
The Shanidar cave itself is located in a
tectonically active area (Sissakian and Fouad,
2012), and the stratigraphic evidence discovered
suggests successive rock falls from the interior
and ceiling of the cave which makes it difficult to
properly assess the depositional context of many
of the skeletons (Gargett, 1999). Up to 15 m of
sediment had built up in the Shanidar cave since
the lowest Mousterian level. All of the
Neanderthal skeletons in the cave were
discovered beneath collapsed bedrock or in
natural niches, and accepted thought suggests
that, with the exception of Shanidar 4 and
possibly 3, skeletons 1, 2, and 5-9 lie in situ from
where they were struck down by falling cave roof
and are therefore not representative of burial.
The multiple burials found at the cave from a long
period of interrupted use suggest that
Neanderthals were burying their dead, perhaps
not with grave goods, but with purposeful intent
of interment. From the evidence at Shanidar,
however, it is known that Neanderthals had the
ability and the desire to bury their dead and that
they cared for the injured, sick, and elderly of
their social group, and from this it can be
speculated as to how they hunted and what their
early childhood health was like.
5. NATIONAL PARK
Many attempts have been made to construct a
geo-park at the Shanidar cave site and in the near
surroundings. It is already surrounded by a metal
mesh-like fence with a clear description board
that gives an explanation of the cave and the
findings, emphasizing on the discovered
Neanderthal remains, which the archaeologists
called Shanidar with numbers. The given
explanation is in Kurdish and English languages.
Among the attempts for constructing a national
park, one is that of the Kurdistan Institution for
Strategic Studies and Scientific Researches
located in Sulaimaniyah city (Personal
communication with Prof. Dr. Polla A. Khanqa,
president of the institution, 2013). Another
attempt is that of the Natural History Research
Center and Museum (University of Baghdad),
located in Baghdad (Personal Communication
with Dr. Aqeel A. Al-Zubaidi, Geologist, Natural
History Research Center and Museum, Baghdad,
2015). Recently, another attempt was carried on
to obtain a UNESCO Code for the cave as a
national park according to the significant findings
as the Neanderthal life and characters were
discovered (Personal communication with Mr.
Msb Barzany, 22 April 2019).
6. CONCLUSION
From this study, the following conclusions can be
made:
The Shanidar cave is not only home to
Neanderthal skeletons, but also to over 30 other
“Proto-Neolithic” skeletons that have been
roughly dated to 10,000 years BC. The
discovered remains of Neanderthals were called
Shanidars and were given a unique serial number
. The lifestyle, body characteristics, and burial
habits were also well studied and known from the
discovered remains. The cave was used as a
shelter for Neanderthals in different age intervals
(65,000 to 35,000 to 10,000 years). This means
that the cave was a relevant shelter; therefore,
Neanderthals (Shanidars) returned to the same
cave at different time intervals to escape from
successive glaciations.
7. RECOMMENDATIONS
This study has the following recommendations:
• To facilitate and accelerate the
consideration of the Shanidar cave as a
national park by UNESCO along with
assigning an official serial number.
• Cleaning of the cave by a specialized
company of the remains of cattle caused
because of using the cave as a shelter by
shepherds.
• Supplying the cave with electricity,
ventilation, and indication signs for
tourists.
• Cleaning the solution hole and arranging a
comfortable ladder to help the tourists
descend the hole.

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Sissakian: Shanidar Cave - An Interesting Archaeological Site in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq
• Supplying the site with necessary logistics
for it to be used as a tourist site.
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