‘It’s like a high-stakes 3D jigsaw puzzle’ – Neanderthal woman’s face seen for the first time in 75,000 years

The head of the woman, Shanidar Z, was recreated by paleo artists Adrie and Alfons Kennis for a Netflix documentary. Photo: PA

Sam Russell

A 75,000-year-old Neanderthal skeleton found in the foothills of Iraq is believed to have been a woman aged in her mid-40s, according to researchers who pieced her skull back together.

The skull of the skeleton, unearthed at the Shanidar Cave site 800km north of Baghdad and named Shanidar Z, has been recreated as part of a new ­Netflix documentary called Secrets of the ­Neanderthals.