French Scientists recently re-discovered a 60,000 year old grave where they found the remains of a Neanderthal who was laid to rest. It was originally discovered in 1908, but after a re-excavation of the cave site, scientists discovered that there was not only one who was buried there. They also discovered more teeth and bones, other evidence showing that the body was prepared for burial after the time of death.They also observed that whereas the animal remains appear to have been gnawed on by carnivores, the Neandertal bones exhibit no such damage, suggesting that the corpse was covered rapidly, as would occur if it were intentionally buried.
NOS Themes:
Science is Tentative: They hadn't thought of this as being a ritualistic burial until re-excavating the dig site over a century later.
Science is Based on Evidence: Recent evidence being discovered is what led to this realization.
For more information
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-evidence-suggest-neandertals-buried-their-dead/
This topic is really interesting! I found this article that explains more about the origins of intentional human burial and evidence that proves it. It also discusses the different tools and Paleolithic technology that they would have used at the time. It's so interesting to see how far we've come as a species. Check it out! http://anthro.palomar.edu/homo2/mod_homo_3.htm
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