They were part of the contact zone.

The Process of Becoming Fossil

Understanding how Shanidar Z survived for 75,000 years requires understanding what happens to a body over time — and why most bodies from this period do not survive at all.

When a Neanderthal died, the bones were subject to immediate pressures.

Carnivores and scavengers could disperse the remains.

Weathering would attack exposed bone.

Chemical processes in the soil could dissolve calcium phosphate, the primary mineral in bone, particularly in acidic environments.

Most Neanderthal individuals are known only from fragments — a tooth here, a finger bone there, a jaw without a skull.