Shanidar Cave and the Baradostian, a Zagros Aurignacian industry

Abstract

Whilst there has been significant interest in the origins and spread of the Aurignacian industry, usually linked with the physical dispersal of anatomically modern humans into Europe, comparatively little attention has been paid to possible origins or movements further east. Recent work at Shanidar Cave, a site better known for the Neanderthal evidence discovered by Ralph Solecki in his 1951–1960 excavations, has recovered new information on the “Baradostian” Upper Palaeolithic in Iraq. This paper reviews the regional evidence for the Baradostian as an example of the Zagros Aurignacian and discusses its place in debates about Neanderthal/Modern Human relations.