None of these lines of evidence is individually conclusive.

Body position could result from gravity and decomposition.

Location could be coincidence.

Site patterns could reflect differential preservation rather than preferential use.

Cross-site parallels could reflect similar depositional processes rather than shared cultural practices.

But together, the independent lines of evidence all point in the same direction.

That convergence is what makes the intentional burial interpretation not simply a romantic reading of ancient bones, but a scientific hypothesis supported by multiple forms of evidence.

The Cambridge team’s contribution to this convergence is the careful documentation of a new individual — Shanidar Z — using methods unavailable to Solecki, in a context where the stratigraphy and the associated sediment can be analyzed in unprecedented detail.