Neanderthals may have buried and honored their dead, a new study suggests.

一项新的研究表明，尼安德特人可能埋葬并纪念他们的死者。

The early human ancestors may have even used flowers in burials.

早期的人类祖先甚至可能举行花葬。

Scientists recently announced their discovery in the publication Antiquity.

科学家们最近在《古物》杂志上发表了他们的发现。

The scientists found the bones of an adult in Shanidar Cave, in the Kurdistan area of northern Iraq.

科学家们在伊拉克北部库尔德斯坦地区的沙尼达尔洞穴中发现了一具成年人骨骸。

The Neanderthal, called Shanidar Z, is believed to have lived up to 70,000 years ago.

该人为尼安德特人，名为沙尼达尔Z，根据调查此人生活在7万年前。

The individual was possibly in his or her 40s or 50s.

年龄大概四五十岁。

Scientists do not yet know the sex of the individual.

科学家们目前还不知道该尸体的性别。

The cave where the bones were found is already famous in archaeology.

发现这些遗骸的洞穴在考古学上已经很有名了。

In 1960, archaeologist Ralph Solecki discovered the remains of 10 Neanderthals - seven adults and three children.

1960年，考古学家拉尔夫·索莱茨基发现了10具尼安德特人的遗骸--7名成人和3名儿童。

At the time, small amounts of flower pollen were found in soil around the remains.

当时，在遗骸周围的土壤中发现了少量的花粉。

The discovery led Solecki to propose that Neanderthals buried their dead and even had funeral ceremonies with flowers.

这一发现促使索莱茨基提出，尼安德特人会埋葬他们的死者，甚至会举行花葬。

Critics later doubted the "flower burial" explanation.

评论家后来对“花葬” 这一说法表示怀疑。

They argued that the pollen could have been modern contamination from people, animals or insects.

他们认为，这些花粉可能是现代人类、动物或昆虫造成的污染。

Shanidar Z's bones were found in soil containing ancient pollen and plant remains,

沙尼达尔Z的遗骸是在含有古代花粉和植物遗骸的土壤中被发现的，

suggesting the possibility of flower burials.

这表明可能还是有花葬的可能性。

Scientists are now further examining the materials.

科学家们正在进一步研究这些材料。

Scholars have argued for years about whether Neanderthals buried their dead with funeral ceremonies.

多年来，学者们一直在争论尼安德特人是否会埋葬他们的死者，并且为他们举办葬礼。

Emma Pomeroy studies ancient humans at the University of Cambridge.

艾玛·波莫罗伊在剑桥大学研究古人类。

She was the lead writer of the recent study.

她还是最近这项研究的主要作者。

She said that what is important about the burial is the aim or purpose behind it.

她说，葬礼的重要意义在于其背后的目的。

"You might bury a body for purely practical reasons, in order to avoid attracting dangerous scavengers, " she said.

她说，“为了避免吸引危险的食腐动物，你可能出于纯粹的实际原因而掩埋尸体”。

Pomeroy added that if more is done "it is important because that indicates more complex,

波梅罗伊补充说，“多做一些研究这一点很重要，因为这意味着更复杂、

symbolic and abstract thinking, compassion and care for the dead, and perhaps feelings of mourning and loss."

更有象征意义和更抽象的思考，对死者的同情和关怀，也许还有哀悼和失落的感觉。”

Shanidar Z appears to have been placed in an area cut into the soil.

沙尼达尔Z似乎被葬在土壤层内较浅的地方。

The area has a group of four individuals.

这个地区有四具尸体。

Graeme Barker, a University of Cambridge archeologist, helped write the study.

剑桥大学考古学家格雷姆·巴克协助撰写了这份研究报告。

He said the cave may have been used as a burial place for a long period of time.

他说这个洞穴可能被用作埋葬的地方已经有很长一段时间了。

"…It seems clear that Shanidar was a special place,

“……很明显，沙尼达尔被放在一个特殊地方，

with bodies being placed just in one part of a large cave," he said.

把身体放在一个大洞穴的一个地方，“ 他说。

Neanderthals were more strongly built than modern humans, or Homo sapiens.

尼安德特人比现代人或称智人更强壮。

They lived in Eurasia from about 400,000 years ago until around 40,000 years ago.

他们大约生活在40万年前到大约4万年前的欧亚大陆上。

They then disappeared after modern humans became established.

他们在现代人类建立之后就消失了。

Modern non-African human populations are believed to carry small amounts of Neanderthal genetic material known as DNA.

现代非非洲人种据研究携带少量尼安德特人的遗传物质，即DNA。

I'm John Russell.

约翰·拉塞尔报道。