880-881 DOI: 10.1126/science.190.4217.880 . The 'flower burial' captured the public imagination, and prompted a reappraisal of a species that—prior to Shanidar Cave—was thought to have been dumb and animalistic. The 'flower burial' captured the public imagination, and prompted a reappraisal of a species that -- prior to Shanidar Cave -- was thought to have been dumb and animalistic. (If I seem to be waxing poetic about Shanidar, blame Jean Auel. Researchers discovered the Neanderthal's remains in Shanidar Cave, an archaeological hotspot in the foothills of Iraqi Kurdistan. At the time, the discovery of the pollen captured the public imagination and the Shanidar Cave became famous as the so-called 'flower burial' site. Shanidar Cave is famous for what is known as the Flower Burial.Among 10 fragmentary Neanderthal skeletons unearthed there in the 1950s and 1960s, one was found with clumps of … By Ralph S. Solecki. Critics cast doubt on the “flower burial,” arguing the pollen could have been modern contamination from people living in the cave or from rodents or insects. Science 28 Nov 1975: Vol. Shanidar Cave became an iconic Palaeolithic site following Ralph Solecki’s discovery of Neanderthal remains. See all Hide authors and affiliations. Like many '80s kids, I read The Clan of the Cave Bear and other titles from her Earth's Children series, which was inspired by finds at the cave. A view of the entrance to Shanidar Cave in the foothills of the Baradost Mountains in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region, the site where fossils of 10 Neanderthals have been unearthed. Scientists have discovered more remains at the archaeological site where the Potential evidence of burial has also been found in one of the most famous Neanderthal sites, the Shanidar cave in Kurdistan, located in northern Iraq. 190, Issue 4217, pp. Article; Info & Metrics; eLetters; PDF; This is a PDF-only article. Shanidar IV, a Neanderthal Flower Burial in Northern Iraq. Dramatic embellishments aside, the books had many of us skipping the mall and instead hitting the library to learn more about Neanderthals.) ( Antiquity Publications Ltd ) According to a study published in Antiquity in February 2020, Solceki had uncovered the “famous flower burial, so-called because of clumps of pollen grains from adjacent sediments.”