626 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1959 
warped downward at the ends by the terrific pressure of fallen stone 
blocks. Shanidar III was probably contemporary with the upper- 
most of the two hearths. 
Our two Shergati assistants were detailed to clean the soil from 
around the skeletal remains during the next few days, exposing the 
remains of the trunk, which lay behind the shattered limb bones. The 
trunk was represented by five lumbar vertebrae in articulation, some 
scattered and broken ribs, and parts of the pelvis and sacrum. Rib 
fragments were collected 35 cm. away from the vertebral column. 
Two areas of crumbled bone, one measuring 20 by 10 cm. and the 
other 12 by 7 cm., were observed under stones in the same plane as 
the trunk. All the bones were scattered in an area 65 cm. broad by 
35 cm. deep. They lay in a soil pocket measuring 70 cm. by 55 cm. 
among limestone blocks at the base or western edge of a rockfall. 
Unfortunately for field identification and recovery, much of this 
osseous material had been reduced to compacted masses of powder 
adhering to the limestone fragments and blocks. None of the recover- 
able bones was mineralized, and each could be separated very easily 
from the soil. Also none of the bones appeared to have been mo- 
lested by animals, or at least none of the bones showed evidence of 
gnawing or chewing. However, it is possible that animals may have 
removed some of the bones of the cephalic end. The several teeth 
which were recovered had passed unnoticed into collecting bags during 
preliminary investigations in this section and were not retrieved 
until a comparative examination of the remains was made. The teeth 
seemed to have been scattered in the vicinity of the bones. 
From the evidence, it appears that Shanidar III had been acci- 
dentally caught, like Shanidar I and II, under a rockfall and in- 
stantly killed. Death was not due to either of the rockfalls that 
caused the deaths of the others. Unlike the others, and unfortunately 
for us, this body seems to have been jammed into a crevice among 
the stones, and the upper parts, including the head and arms, had been 
sheared away. No part of the skeleton above the lumbar vertebrae 
was found in place. It appears as though the trunk had been in an 
upright position when it was caught by the rockfall. The legs were 
flexed close to the trunk. From the angle of the trunk and of the 
several parts of the lower limbs, the individual had been lying on its 
right side, its upper extremities directed obliquely to the east, and 
its lower extremities to the west. 
We could not immediately resolve the identity of the remains, 
although they looked suspiciously humanlike. Photographs were 
taken of the remains in situ and a drawing of the same was made 
for the record. The bones were picked out by our Arab technicians 
after a preservative coating was applied to the exposed surfaces. They 
