Exclusive: Bees may be source of pollen near remains but evidence still suggests bodies were buried with care
Buried in a partial foetal position and surrounded by flower pollen, the discovery of Shanidar 4 – a Neanderthal skeleton unearthed in 1960 – prompted a dramatic reappraisal of our ancient cousins.
Far from being brutish thugs, the Shanidar flower burial, as it became known, painted a picture of Neanderthals as empathic beings who cared enough for their dead to scour the mountains for funeral bouquets. Now, fresh evidence suggests this interpretation may have been incorrect – although Neanderthals may still have had strong funerary rituals.
More Stories
Exercise ‘better than drugs’ to stop cancer returning after treatment, trial finds
New AI test can predict which men will benefit from prostate cancer drug
Elon Musk shows he still has the White House’s ear on Trump’s Middle East trip