Shanidar Cave
ئەشکەوتی شانەدەر | |
The entrance to Shanidar Cave | |
| Alternative name | Shanadar Cave |
|---|---|
| Location | Erbil Governorate, Kurdistan Region, Iraq |
| Region | Zagros Mountains |
| Coordinates | 36°49′54″N 44°13′16″E / 36.831593°N 44.221083°E |
Shanidar Cave (Kurdish: ئەشکەوتی شانەدەر, romanized: Eşkewtî Şaneder, Arabic: كَهَف شانِدَر) is an archaeological site on Bradost Mountain, within the Zagros Mountains in the Erbil Governorate of Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. Neanderthal remains were discovered here in 1953, including Shanidar 1, who survived several injuries, possibly due to care from others in his group, and Shanidar 4, the famed 'flower burial'. Until this discovery, Cro-Magnons, the earliest known H. sapiens in Europe, were the only individuals known for purposeful, ritualistic burials.