Religious behavior began to emerge around 30,000 years ago during the upper Paleolithic. Further, it was as early as 30,000 years ago when behavioral patterns that can be characterized as religious were noticed. It is during the middle Paleolithic when patterns such as burial rites that represented ancestral religious behavior appeared. Also, it was during this time that the first Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens did appear therefore coinciding with the emergence of burial sites. Since the discovery by scientists that, intentional burial rites were practiced in the past, many arguments have come up as to whether they appeared during the upper Paleolithic or the middle Paleolithic. Some archeologists argue that the evidence that the Neanderthals were the first to practice intentional burial is not substatiative hence highly disputable. On the contrary, a considerable number of them have argued that the Neanderthals actually did practice intentional burial for their dead during the period between 200,000 to 30,000 years ago. It is therefore important to analyze arguments for and the evidence provided for in support of the argument that the Neanderthals did actually have intentional burials for their dead.
Discussion
The issue of prehistoric ritual behavior attracts much speculation among many professionals including archeologists, scientists and anthropologists. Whereas some have disputed the evidence provided in relation to the existence of ritualistic behavior among the Neanderthals, others have supported the evidence. According to the evidence provided by the end of the ice age, it provides a conclusive support that rituals did exist way before in history. It is evident that the Neanderthals were the first to practice burial rites in human history. This was a culturally developed behavior whereby these people honored the deceased through burial (Shrenk, Muller & Henm, 2009). However, some scholars are for the opinion that such burials may not have been carried out intentionally but perhaps for reasons considered pragmatic. Such reasons in relation to those scholars’ standards meant that burials could be made only to dispose the decaying corpse. This would prevent odor, improve hygienic conditions and make animals not be attracted to the corpse. All in all, it is clear that the Neanderthals in their motives that are considered intentional did carry out burials for their dead. It is for this reason that nearly in all regions of Europe where they visited graves could be discovered. The fact that mortal remains have been found by archeologists and paleoanthropologists under the earth, confirms that actually burials must have been conducted. This is highly significant because if burials had not been conducted then, these mortal remains could not be found (Pettitt, 2005).
Neanderthal skeletons that have been uncovered from caves and cliff overhang areas up to date hugely suggest that purposeful burials were conducted by the Neanderthals. Many of these mortal remains have been uncovered in locations considered as naturally protected. It is in these locations across Europe that were repeatedly visited by the Neanderthals. It has been discovered that these people when burying their dead, could dig graves that were flat and may be up to one-meter in depth. Richer grave deposits have been uncovered from graves during the Upper Paleolithic. Some of the objects that may have been coincidentally included during burials were teeth and bones from animals, stone implements, pollen flower fossils and embroidered clothing and. Such objects were used by these people in their everyday lives and were found in Neanderthal graves. These grave places where such objects were discovered include Saint Cesaire, Amud, Tabun, La Quina and Le Moustier amongst others. The discovery of red ochre pigment in graves meant that there was also the use of natural pigments during burials. The use of such natural pigments shows that there may be cultic practices that were performed by these people during burials. It is also evident from the way these people honored the dead that, indeed there was some importance attached to the whole practice. Further, such arrangements could not have been carried out unintentionally since they wanted to be always remembering their departed members (Henry, 2003).
It is argued that perhaps Neanderthals did breed with different groups that subsequently led to the emergence of modern people. It is also clear that refinements of behavior that are continual and gradual could have led to cultural innovations notable in modern cultural practices. Modern people have replaced the Neanderthals since their disappearance from Europe as early as 40,000 years ago bringing about cultural changes. Such changes considered as evolutionary include those related to burial practices. Even if modern people have unique cultural practices with regard to burial rites, the early burials did involve rituals and symbolism hence making them intentional. It is clear that in Europe, burial practices that are complex did develop gradually dating back to the time when Neanderthals were in occupancy. This continual development of burial practices lasted even after the dominance of modern humans in Europe. During the upper Paleolithic, which is a period .approximately between 40,000 to 10,000 years back, numerous remains have been uncovered in Europe. Archeologists and scientists highly recognized these hominid remains without doubts that they were really products stemming from intentional burials. It was mostly in caves where corpses could often be found either alone or at other times buried in groups (Pettitt, 2005).
The discoveries unraveled that burials were made simultaneously or over a long period of time that can date back to several millennia in Europe. The discoveries further showed that burial pits were made either outside or inside the caves where remains could be put under the earth. Such remains could be buried sometimes accompanied by personal effects and numerous manufactured objects. At many early Upper Paleolithic sites, grave goods were found by Archeologists. Such goods included hunting weapons, necklaces, bracelets, reddish pigment, bones and teeth from animals and other fashioned objects that were made from stones (Bryant, 2003). There also exists a link between the Upper Paleolithic and the middle Paleolithic in relation to cultural behavior. It can be disputed when some researchers argued that it is only modern humans who did bury their dead deliberately. This is because some behavioral adaptations that are similar were being shared by modern humans and the Neanderthals. A generalization that there exists cognitive differences between the moderns and the Neanderthals cannot be justified on the basis that, larger complex quantities of grave goods were found with remains of upper |Paleolithic than Middle Paleolithic. Archeologist Geoffrey Clark of Arizona State University (current anthropology journal) carried out an examination of a number of upper and middle Paleolithic hominids to determine evidence on intentional burial. From the findings, he therefore suggested that cultural practices such as burial rites and intentional burials had gradually developed. Further, the Neanderthals and humans did independently develop such practices as well as sporadically employing them into real practice (Smirnov, (1989).
Although researchers did contend that there was evidence of deliberate burial with the less complex middle Paleolithic graves, there was no outstanding differences between moderns and the Neanderthals graves. Studies found that both groups had burials that contained examples of grave goods. Such sort of grave goods that were placed on top of skeletons would include rocks, bone fragments and stone tools amongst others. Further, researchers did agree that cultural change in Europe was most concentrated after the transition period of middle-upper Paleolithic. The cultural change that included innovations in areas of cave painting and building of weapons did not necessarily result from biological evolution. They argued in their reasoning that, human ancestors did not undergo evolutionary changes so as to have earlier advances in relation to burial practices (Smirnov, (1989). A more recent anthropology paper by the name d‘Errico maintains that, symbolism and ritual rites could be fully practiced by the Neanderthals. Further, it is not necessarily that earlier contacts had to be made first between the Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans so as to produce such symbolic behaviors. The paper argues that, it is by the virtue of human societies’ increasingly becoming complex that upper Paleolithic graves contained goods of more elaborate compositions. However, it was not for the reason that the human mind had underwent fundamental changes that such goods were found in Upper Paleolithic graves. It is further argued in current anthropology that modern humans conduct more recent burials characterized by increased complexity but such effort may just be an addition of earlier practiced ritual and symbolic aspects (Pettitt, 2005).
According to George Constable who is a researcher, the earliest burial sites to be discovered belonged to the Neanderthal man. He further argued that, after their discovery they were not seen as representing any deliberate intention with regard to burying the dead. However, after more than a half century years since their discovery many did credit them as having meaningful burial that was deliberate. This was supported by the arguments of a well-known anthropologist and archeologist by the name Louis Leakey. He said that a feel for human spirit and self-awareness keenly were being displayed by the Neanderthals through such burials. The discoveries found that indeed intentions for burying their dead were clearly displayed by the grave sites hence accrediting the Neanderthals that their burials for the dead were intentional. Such discoveries of many burial sites for the Neanderthals were made in Europe and the near East. During such discoveries, the cadavers could be found in a fetal position or sleeping revealing the ritualistic nature of placing the remains. Symbolism was also displayed by the way red pigments, plants and flowers could be found over the body or at the hands of the remains (Pettitt, 2005).
Many families could entirely remain together in groups after the death of some members as evidenced by the discoveries of remains buried as a group. According to Clark Howell an anthropologist, the Neanderthals did believe in life after death. This is because of the discoveries made at grave sites that found that the corpse would be in a flexed position, stone slabs covering graves and the numerous tools and food that accompanied the dead. The careful positioning of corpses in the fetal state just showed how these people considered death as a form of sleep hence the hope of life after death. The intentional burial aspect of the dead by Neanderthals led to many researchers being much interested in that field hence many discoveries at grave sites. This consequently led to the discovery of many skeletal remains that belonged to the Neanderthals. Many researchers hence have discovered that the Neanderthals were the first Homo species to bury their dead. Some of the exemplary sites where such hominids were buried in shallow graves include Kebara cave in Israel, Krapina in Croatia and Shanidar in Iraq (Henry, 2003).
Conclusion
The issue of the intentional burial of the dead by the Neanderthals has received mixed reactions and attracted a lot of interest from scholars and researchers. Some have disputed the evidence provided in some findings that Neanderthals were really the first Homo species to bury their dead. Robert Gargett a scientist has provided a critique of this evidence but it was not convincing enough to warrant a conclusion that the Neanderthals actually did not intentionally bury their dead (Gargett, 1985). It is however evident from the many discoveries at numerous grave sites of remains that these people did actually bury their dead. Further, it is widely believed that such cultural practices did gradually improve hence innovations could be realized (Bahn, 1996). It cannot be concluded that modern humans who dominated the areas earlier occupied by the Neanderthals were the first to practice burial rites. Instead, they did learn from earlier practices and because of the complexity in human societies, they came up with some modifications and improvements. The fact that Neanderthal cave sites were discovered as early as 90,000 years ago just provide reasonable evidence that indeed their existed burial culture of the dead that was intentional. From discoveries, there were caves, shallow graves and rock shelters where relatives and friends were buried. For instance, the Shanidar cave in northern Iraq showed that they indeed showed respect for the dead and they had to prepare the dead for life after death. The discovery is one amongst others which showed some ritual activities that were even more elaborate. In the grave the man’s body was placed on pine boughs and on top were different species of flowers that had been sprinkled. This clearly showed that to some extent these people actually believed in life after death. It is evident that if they believed dead family members and friends were of no further use, then little chances are that they could not have carefully buried their dead in such a way (Pettitt, 2005).
