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Shanidar Cave is a remarkable place
Located in northern Iraqi Kurdistan, skeletal remains found here by Ralph Solecki from 1951 to 1960 transformed our understanding of the Neanderthals. Since 2014 the Shanidar Cave Project, led by Professor Graeme Barker (University of Cambridge), has begun new work at this iconic archaeological site.
The Project is in collaboration with the General Directorate of Antiquities for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and we are grateful for the support of Kaify Mustafa Ali, General Director of Antiquities for Kurdistan, and Abdulwahab Soleiman, Director of Antiquities for Soran District where Shanidar Cave is located.
Find out more about how the ground-breaking discoveries at Shanidar Cave continue to shed exciting new light on our enigmatic Neanderthal relatives.
Previous excavations at Shanidar Cave
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Work by Dr Ralph Solecki and his team from 1951-1960 challenged prevailing ideas about Neanderthals, and put Shanidar Cave on the map
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Since 2014, we have been using cutting-edge archaeological methods to bring new perspectives on the Neanderthal life and death at Shanidar Cave.
Find out more about the work of the Shanidar Cave Project, including the remains known as 'Shanidar Z', which were found in 2016 and are currently undergoing conservation
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Stereotypical cavemen and cavewomen, or intelligent, caring and adaptable? What were Neanderthals really like? How has Shanidar Cave changed our view?
Institutions and Funders
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