These fossil crania from the circum-Mediterranean region include roughly contemporary specimens from Europe, the Levant and North Africa. From the top these represent a French Neandertal (from La Ferrassie), a Neandertal from Iraq (Shanidar 1), a Neandertal from Amud (Israel), the Qafzeh 6 skull (Israel), and a skull from the Moroccan site of Jebel Irhoud. Although these specimens share many similarities that reflect genic exchanges, differences between each end (Europe and North Africa) reflect isolation by distance.