Neandertal Burials

Although it is possible that early humans buried their dead for purely hygienic reasons or to discourage scavengers, many anthropologists view intentional burial as a kind of symbolic behavior. Some have even suggested that it represents the earliest evidence of religion. Therefore, it is understandable that the subject of Neandertal burials is a controversial one. Although not always explicit, this controversy is linked to different perceptions regarding Neandertal cognition and intelligence. It is also rooted in the debate over modern human origins and the “humanness” of Neandertals.

In general, opinions among anthropologists fall within three camps. First, some anthropologists believe that all evidence for Neandertal burials can be explained by natural processes. They claim there is no scientifically sound evidence that Neandertals buried their dead. Second, other anthropologists accept that Neandertals may have buried their dead occasionally and sporadically. They believe the motives behind Neandertal burials were different from those of modern human burials (for example, practical vs. symbolic). Finally, still other anthropologists believe that the characteristics of, and motivation behind, Neandertal and anatomically modern human burials were the same, suggesting that the cognitive capacities of the two groups were similar, if not identical.

Much of the disagreement over whether or not Neandertals buried their dead is linked to different standards used to identify a burial. For some, the criteria may be quite simple. For example, good preservation may be enough for some anthropologists to conclude that an individual was intentionally buried. Others require more rigorous criteria, such as the position of the body (flexed), evidence of a burial pit, grave markers, and/or inclusion of grave goods. Although not the most popular view, some anthropologists claim that one must completely disprove the role of natural processes in order to properly interpret a skeleton as a burial.

More Neandertal sites lack rather than possess evidence of intentional burial. Generally speaking, Neandertal burials are simpler than those of later Upper Paleolithic humans. When present, the burial pits associated with Neandertal skeletons are shallow, and some clearly have a natural origin. Only about half of the Neandertal burials include possible grave goods (for example, stone tools, animal bones, and/or pigment). Because these grave goods are not very different from the items found in the surrounding deposit, it is difficult to rule out the possibility that the items were accidentally included in the grave fill. This contrasts sharply with graves associated with later Upper Paleolithic European burials, which often contain large numbers of art objects and are clearly contained in a pit of human manufacture. The most convincing evidence that Neandertals occasionally buried their dead is that many of the skeletons, especially those of juveniles and infants, are well preserved.

If we use the somewhat looser criteria of most anthropologists, there are approximately 20 Neandertal sites for which there is probable or certain evidence for one or more intentional burials. Some of the better known sites are discussed below.

In 1908, at the site of La Chapelle-aux-Saints, France, a Neandertal skeleton was excavated from a large, roughly rectangular depression. The “old man from La Chapelle” was the first Neandertal skeleton to be interpreted as deliberate burial. The skeleton was well preserved and nearly complete, found lying on its back in a tightly flexed position. Animal bones may have been included as grave goods.

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