Femoral diaphyseal histomorphometric age determinations for the Shanidar 3, 4, 5, and 6 Neandertals and Neandertal longevity

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Abstract
Histomorphometric analysis of femoral diaphyseal fragments from the Shanidar 3, 4, 5, and 6 Neandertals provide age at death estimates of 41 (± 6.7), 36 (± 6.7), 40 (± 6.7), and 24(± 6.7) years. These determinations are in agreement with previous macroscopic age assessments. Since the Shanidar 3, 4, and 5 (and slightly younger Shanidar 1) individuals are among the oldest known Neandertals, these age determinations suggest that significant postre-productive survival was rare among the Neandertals and a phenomenon primarily of anatomically modern humans.