Any responsible account of Shanidar Z ends with an honest inventory of what remains unknown.

We know she existed.

We know approximately when she lived.

We know roughly what her skull looked like, based on a careful digital reconstruction from more than two hundred fragments.

We know her sex was probably female and her age probably middle-aged.

We know where her body came to rest, and that the location was used by multiple individuals over an extended period.

We do not know what she died of.