Shanidar Cave Neanderthal Flower Burial Niche
Shanidar Cave Neanderthal Flower Burial Niche North Annex · Shanidar Site
Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)·Multi-period rock art·🇮🇶 Erbil, Shanidar Cave, Iraq
About
About Shanidar Cave Neanderthal Flower Burial Niche
Shanidar Cave Neanderthal Flower Burial Niche in Erbil, Shanidar Cave, Iraq is a Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE) rock art attributed to Multi-period rock art. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal panel 12 m long × 3 m high and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 36.8320N 44.2200E controls access to Erbil resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey rock art for Erbil, Shanidar Cave, illustrating Multi-period rock art construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Meaning of iconographic motifs
- 02Dating of superimposed phases
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
- Period
- Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)
- Culture
- Multi-period rock art
- Purpose
- Rock art sanctuary and ritual landscape with petroglyphs/pictographs
- Rediscovered
- 1990 survey
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
Initial construction of Shanidar Cave Neanderthal Flower Burial Niche main structure
c. 1930
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1990–2005
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Shanidar Cave Neanderthal Flower Burial Niche) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
36.8320° N · 44.2200° E · 290 m · 4 mapped features
Shanidar Cave Neanderthal Flower Burial Niche — Main Structure
panelPrincipal rock art — Panel 12 m long × 3 m high with diagnostic masonry/panel
36.8328° N · 44.2209° EShanidar Cave Neanderthal Flower Burial Niche — Ancillary Complex
complexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature
36.8310° N · 44.2193° EShanidar Cave Neanderthal Flower Burial Niche — Peripheral Feature
outlierPeripheral feature with petroglyph panel extension
36.8335° N · 44.2212° EShanidar Cave Neanderthal Flower Burial Niche — Hydraulic/Cistern
hydraulicHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir or rock-cut channel associated with site
36.8304° N · 44.2189° E