One of the most striking things about Shanidar Cave is the duration of its use.

From approximately 100,000 years ago to the emergence of anatomically modern humans in the region — and then continuing with modern human occupation — the cave was used, intermittently, for a span of time that dwarfs recorded human history.

The Neanderthal occupation alone covers approximately 60,000 to 70,000 years, based on the radiocarbon and stratigraphic evidence from the site.

That is an extraordinary span of time for a single location to remain in continuous or semi-continuous use.