The Neandertal Burial That Taught Us About Humanity 

They cared for their sick and disabled, so I feel its not ridiculous to think that they very much buried their dead. They had compassion, surely they wanted to say goodbye to their loved ones and probably wanted to stop carnivores from eating the bodies of their family members.

Sometimes, I’m struck by the fact that we are the last kind of humans but for years, we weren’t alone, and our long dead ancestors cousins were as human as we are now. This is one of those times.

Regardless of the possible intentional burial of the dead, I find it much more meaningful that Shanidar 1 was a disabled elderly Neanderthal, meaning that the others chose to take care of them. Compassion is a beautiful thing.

Let’s also think on corvids. Crows and ravens, primarily. They do understand death. They seem to understand some bits of symbolism. My own example: Tikka, a magpie that adopted me, stayed with me for two years. Through a messy breakup, and moving three times. I never forced him. I only explained where I was going. And he’d follow me! This past summer, he died. Looked like he’d been in a fight and succumbed to his injuries. The day he died, he’d come to the backyard of the house my friends and I are renting. All day, there was a large gathering of mixed crows and ravens, chasing away cats, other birds, and my roommates from something. When I got home from work, I went to go talk to the corvids… they all took off, revealing that they had been guarding Tikka’s body. I buried him, and left a few shiny coins with him. Just… a few things I knew he liked. The next day, there were twigs and a couple of dandelions on the little grave. Deliberately placed there, and not by me. I can only guess these were from Tikka’s bird-friends. They’d seen me bury him, and add a few small things that held meaning. They may have picked those flowers and twigs by luck, but they were not plants in our yard. They had to bring those items from somewhere else, and place them deliberately on Tikka’s grave

I used to know someone who lived on old farmland (no longer worked) and kept a small menagerie: a few donkeys, dogs, cats, and other animals who mostly lived in the barn. She said that when one of the donkeys died, the vet encouraged her to leave the donkey's body out for a bit. All the other animals came by as a group and nudged at the dead animal, then stood around for a while. It made me think that recognizing a member of one's living group has died is a very basic thing across many species. I know elephants have funerals.

You forgot to tell the most interesting detail about the Kebara burial: the remains were found directly at the bottom of 20m layers of old campfires. This man was layed to rest, and then fires were lit over his grave time after time for thousands of years.

Elephants appear to "mourn" their dead and revisit bones. Wolves and dolphins appear to show agitation and "sadness" over the loss of group mates. Rescue dogs become depressed when they find too many dead people. Is it so far fetched that these hominids would mourn their dead and care for their bodies afterwards?

I fully believe Neanderthals were just as "human" as us, just as intelligent and capable of sharing culture. After all, why else would there have been intermingling between humans and them?

It seems harder to doubt that they were capable of abstract thought than it is to believe it, imo. They're so closely related to us, and even our closest current relatives in creatures like chimps and bonobos aren't far off from all this, capable of creating art for no other reason than creating it, mourning death, expressing love for the sake of it, etc. - I don't see how Neanderthals and other similar hominids would be incapable of at LEAST that. Considering we interbred and interacted with them regularly enough that it exists in our DNA to this day for many, I think that chances that they weren't extremely similar to us are incredibly slim. We likely shared many practices - in fact I wouldn't be surprised if some of our modern day habits stem from things we developed in those ancient times right alongside other hominids.

Blake is such a fantastic host. All the Eons hosts are really excellent. I’m so glad this channel has continued to succeed. It’s well deserved

The fine thread found at Abri du Maras also goes a long way to show how sophisticated our neanderthal brothers and sisters were. They're us. They're basically us. There is less and less room to imagine that they were any less.

The transition from our earlier ancestors to modern day humans is a subject that has fascinated me ever since I came to understand that there were ancestors of ours that were of a different species. We carry Neanderthal DNA, so in a way, they never died out. There is something almost magical about that, I feel.

Something which is often overlooked is that burial in the ground is often difficult. The Australian Aborigines more often than not wrapped their dead in bark and placed them in trees. The reason is that their digging sticks were really only useful for digging up roots and tubers, not excavating graves, so burials were only used where the soil was soft and sandy. And what sort of soil existed in the caves referred to in this clip?

This was one of the best "Well, we don't really know for sure" episodes. Lots of interesting details to chew on.

I so wish these were full length documentaries! This is SUCH a fascinating topic

I believe that all mammals like Felines, canines, humans, apes, elephants, dolphins, etc. are all capable of communicating these ideas. Elephants and apes already have evidence in the wild of having rituals for their dead, and who knows what possible ways other animals may consider their fallen brethren. I know for certain cats and dogs can mourn and miss people, understand when they pass away, and are in some ways able to communicate their grief to their owners. For example, when my cat Skittles' brother Bo died, she was very depressed for months afterwards. She would constantly cuddle his toys and sit in the spot they would always cuddle together, crying. It was very sad to see her mourning, but comforting to know we all were mourning together. Humans are not the only conscious being on this planet - I believe every single animal knows what's happening around them and can form memories, connections, thoughts, feelings, and emotions. We plainly see it in our every day lives.

It's impossible for them to have survived to old age without help from friends. I can't think of any alternative.

If they were to put a flower w their dead that shows more than just an abstract grasp of death but also shows they have an understanding and appreciation of beauty and its opposition to the ugliness of death

I'm inclined to think that, "funeral" is a better word than "burial" for what is being described here, in several respects. It seems to be a much better description for a symbolism-laden, ritualized burial ceremony like the one being hypothesized: a Neanderthal FUNERAL. P.S. There is no juicier "Stegosaurus tale" than the invention of the Thagomizer.

I love episodes that don't give a definite answer. The truth is always more complicated than yes or no.

I imagine that being a paleontologist (or paleoarchaeologist) it must be both very exciting and very frustrating to depend on lucky discoveries of lucky preservation events. Here's hoping they continue to make lucky finds that shed more light on our past!

Considering that even crows have burials, it seems obvious to me that they would also mourn they dead, especially because they lived in groups and thus cared for each other

I can’t understand why there would even be doubt that these earlier people would have emotional attachment with each other and be profoundly affected by their death, just as we do. Why would they be any different? Does anyone know what apes do when one of their community dies? Do they just let them rot while walking around the scene of horror? Or do they do anything different than what they usually do? I ask because I don’t actually know what they do. But I assume that in the presence of one of their dead, that their behavior would likely change. And if it does change, it is likely an indication of some kind of emotional connection.

The idea that a rock fall killed them or that rodents deposited flowers is just as circumstantial. Given that we have art and jewellery most likely associated with Neanderthals and the fact that we bred with them surely indicates that they were very similar to us. Who knows maybe even more intelligent.

This flower burial inspired two burials in one of my favorite books. The author Jean M Auel is friends with archeologists and spent a lot of time learning from them before she wrote her book Clan of the Cave Bear. The book was the first to be labeled as historical fiction. I love that she tried so hard to get all the historical elements and survival elements as right as possible for the level of knowledge available at the time.

I have always felt, after much consideration, that they are us. We are cousins. I honestly feel that is, based on our current understanding of our obviously shared ancestry, that it is entirely reasonable that we would have similar behaviors.

I don't know why but this brought a wee tear to my eyes. How wonderful to think that they cared for members of their tribe/community just like we do. I believe in my heart that they did understand and care.

Certain animals understand death so that isn't even a trait exclusive to hominids. We just had the capacity to do something about it.

I've read about Neanderthals being buried with flowers in a book called icemans inheritance in the 90s. It suggested it was ceremonial. But a friend suggested they were trying to cover the smell since they weren't buried that deep. Thank you .

Ah I’m always so excited when I see a new episode! Thanks Eons!

This video was uploaded the day after my grandfather died and we did a burial for him so it seems that our ancestors or close relatives had a sense of mourning. I do appreciate that Neanderthals were at least getting a grasp of what death was and how to bury their dead instead of leaving their bodies to be free scavenger meals.

Despite the low brows slopping foreheads of our closest relatives, they were just like us. Intelligent, dynamic and emphatic.

The thing that convinces me that they were probably intelligent, emotional, symbolic beings is that we bred with them enough to have a lasting impact on our DNA. I can't imagine us doing this if they were just dumb animals because so many of our choosing of a mate involves rituals and symbolism. But we await concrete evidence anyway. 🤞

They were feeling, thinking creatures that decorated themselves and cared for each others wounds and sicknesses. Wether if they buried, burned, ate or what ever their dead, they did definitely have a cultural way of coping with loss and a decaying bodies.

I wrote a paper on this in an undergrad anthropology course. I got a C+. Crappy grade, but I was interested in the topic, and learned a bit about how to research and how not to write a paper.

I find it baffling that learned scientists cannot fathom the idea that our human ancestors, be they the Neanderthals or further back, would mourn their deceased. They were human just as we are. They felt love, fear, joy and sadness. Maybe their brains weren't as evolved as ours are today, that didn't mean they didn't mourn or FEEL grief. I firmly believe that, maybe, they didn't understand death the way we do, but they did grieve and find ways to revere their dead.

I really applaud your work to humanize other hominins. It upsets me so much to see people acting like Neanderthals were bumbling idiots when it's been known for quite a while that that's simply not true.

Many human cultures don't bury their dead, but engage in other ritual practices that would not allow for long-term preservation of the body to satisfy archeologists. But this does not make them inferior.

Once upon a time there was a very handsome Stegosaurus prince who lived in the lush, green forests of the prehistoric world. He was the envy of all the other dinosaurs and was admired by all the creatures that lived in the forest. The prince was known for his bravery, his quick wit, and his kind heart. One day, the prince met a T-Rex who was unlike any he had ever encountered before. This T-Rex was a little rough around the edges, but the prince was drawn to their strength and confidence. The T-Rex was intrigued by the prince as well and the two soon became inseparable. Soon, they started sneaking away from the watchful eyes of the other dinosaurs to be alone together, sharing sweet moments and discussing their feelings. But their love was not welcomed by all. Many of the creatures in the forest disapproved of the prince's relationship with the T-Rex, and rumors began to spread about their strange alliance. The prince and the T-Rex were soon faced with a difficult decision: to follow their hearts and stay together, or to listen to the judgment of others and go their separate ways. Eventually, the prince and the T-Rex decided to leave the forest and start a new life together, away from the unfounded mistrust of the other creatures. They traveled to a faraway land, where they could be themselves and love who they wanted without fear of judgment. As they settled into their new home, the prince and the T-Rex discovered that they were not alone. There were other dinosaurs there who were also in love with creatures of a different species, and they had formed a community of love and acceptance. The prince and the T-Rex soon became the leaders of this community, helping others who were facing similar struggles to find love and happiness. They showed everyone that love knows no bounds and that it is possible to find happiness with whoever makes your heart sing. And so, the story of the handsome Stegosaurus prince and the fierce T-Rex came to a happy end, as they lived their lives together in love and joy, surrounded by a community of friends who accepted and loved them for who they were. Their love was an inspiration to all who knew them, and a testament to the power of love to conquer all.

Maybe this is sentimentality speaking, but I'm inclined to believe they did bury their dead with a particular kind of meaning attached to it. I think it's interesting there seems to be implications that sites would be revisited at point after burial, so they may have had some concept of "speaking" with those that have passed on.

I would love to see more about the finds of other Neanderthal jewelry, pigment kits, and the red dot painting… I so enjoyed studying Neanderthal culture in my cultural anthropology course!

1:23 it’s ironic to me that the signs that we used to think Neanderthals were less than us (old age and medical conditions) actually may have just meant they more often took care of their own.

Love your stubble salt & pepper beard ;-)

We know Neanderthals and Homo sapiens intermingled, so I would reason that the practice, if not developed independently by Neanderthals, could have been adopted from Homo sapiens. I honestly can't fully understand why people would assume Neanderthals are inherently less than us. It seems like nothing more than a holdover of regressive sapiens-centrism.

Given that we mated with them at least some of the time, it's not a stretch to think they had symbolic thinking. Maybe they had their own explosion of culture like we around 70K years ago, but at a different time.

I love this channel for its honest presentation. Here's what we have found, here is what we think we know, and here is what we don't know yet. Acknowledging the need for further study.

I just wanna applaud this channel again with its scientific approach to content that's not making attention grabbing claims for cheap clicks and brings up the criticisms and issues with some hypotheses. It's really interesting and refreshing, please never change, eons! 💙

It's so strange that we humans always have in history explained others as none human or different from us. Why wouldn't the neandertals care about eachother like we do.

Talking about things like this makes me very pensive on the human condition. These peoples lives were hard and short, they were ignorant in the scale of the universe and why things happened. Yet they continued, and found time for art, love, and life

5:07 The howl or yelp of a wolf is haunting enough in the snowy north, but imagine being in the same kind of boreal forest at night, lit only by your torch, and hearing the cackle of hyenas moving through the trees.

Neanderthals probably had distinct cultures societies and factions which interacted with each other just like that of modern humans

Archeology is like a Rorschach test: different people make different things of the same picture.

This begs the question: at what point does a burial site turn into an archaeological dig site? Is it appropriate to uncover the bodies once the tombstone or other marking has naturally disappeared for whatever reason? Is it appropriate to uncover the bodies once all who mourned them have also passed? Or is it strictly time-gated? Is it fine once the cadaver has fossilized? I guess it’s just a matter of semantics.

This episode is touching, fascinating, and ends with one of my all-time favorite jokes - the juicy story of the handsome stegosaurus prince 😂

I'm pretty sure the main limitation to burials is the ability to efficiently dig a hole. Kinda requiring a specific tool, because if it'll take all day you'd find another way. After all eating is still a priority. So given what we know about other hominids they probably all had ritual behaviors around death. But probably not all burials. After all even we do pyres and sea burials

this channel is one of the most valuable treasure on open internet. teenage religiously groomed me is for ever thankful for such eye opening lessons which otherwise i will never able to get from books in a region which terrorize you for openly educating about evolution. i really hate what religion do to current day meddle east.

I remember my anthropology class and my book showed a scored piece of stone or bone and I thought that's abstract thinking for sure. I feel the idea of burial ritual and symbols did not just emerge homo sapiens.

I took biological anthropology in high school in the early 80’s and was taught that we were not related to them, but when we examined our skulls in class I found Neanderthal traits on mine. I am glad to see that scientists have now acknowledged that there is a genetic connection between some of us and them.

This man should do more episodes!!

I just love your colorful shell bracelet.

Once upon a time there was very handsome Stegosaurus prince. In order to become the king a the Late Jurassic forest, the Stegosaurus prince had to defeat the Angry Allosaurus who kept eating all of his potential brides. A battle of epic proportions ensued as the Stegosaurus prince came face to face with the angry Allosaurus. The Allosaurus was strong and cunning but the stegosaurus was super duper handsome! Using his charming appearance, the Stegosaurus prince distracted the Allosaurus long enough for him to swing his mighty tail into the theropods face. With the Angry Allosaurus defeated, the Stegosaurus prince finally became king of the Jurassic and spend the rest of his days with his new queen chewing on cycads and rolling in mud. The end!

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that they were sentient, capable, spiritually developed human beings.

I remember an article on cup marks where there was a slab with cup marks above a skeleton of a neanderthal child. Edit: it was about the La Ferassie site " Over its body lay three magnificent flinttools: one point and two scrapers. The grave was partially covered by a triangular limestoneslab, showing on its lower surface a sort of cup mark surrounded by small cup marks ingroups of two or four (Bergounioux,1958; Heim,1984)." (from the chapter on evidence of neandertal spiritual practices by Wendorf, Close, Schild. Africa in the period of Homo sapiens neanderthalensis and contemporaries, p 329).

Blake with facial hair? 😍🥰 Video about Neanderthal cultural practices? Utterly fascinating!

I wrote an essay on this topic. Shanidar cave had 7 adult bodies buried there over a 15,000 year period. It's unlikely that it was 7 roof collapses, but there are not any artifacts that would suggest an intentional burial based on modern ideas.

As a person with 4% Neanderthal DNA, I’m fascinated by the continuing research into the possible cultural traditions and capacities of my ancient ancestors

It will always surprise me how similar we were... I mean, why do we even consider them a different species. After all, both species mated back in the day, right?

This video was posted just when i am working on my assignment about neanderthals and symbolism. Amazing!

To think of them as stupid is to dig up scientific racism from the grave. Great video

Thank you, for reporting 👍👍👍👍👍

People will fight SO hard to keep their notions of their group's "superiority". Same story over and over again. They're scared.

Blake could talk about the science behind how paint dries and I'd still find it fascinating. 😄

hi, i missed you as the narrator, and nice new look!!!

Why is it that some people is so set on finding something that separates us from our extinct cousins? What are the evidence that they were much different than us?

I get the feeling that if one were to encounter a living Neanderthal, you'd barely be able to notice. If you dressed one in modern clothing and set them loose, they'd simply look like a kinda short, kinda hairier human, with very similar abilities. Not different enough for anyone to take note of without close inspection.

wow, 11 seconds in and already shots fired. You guys are awesome 😀

So the Stegosaurus Agent says "what do you call the act?"....and Stego Prince says "The Aristocrats!"......

I hope some day we get the answer, but I mean, elephants have been observed engaging in mourning, burying their dead, and visiting remains (source: Harper collins); so why not our distant relatives

Neandertals existed across vast stretches to time and space. It's nonsense to assume every group had the same culture and customs. Some did one thing, some did another.

Amazing video beautiful wording and great subject I love these hominid videos

Wow, just wow! 😱 Blake is even More Gorgeous with Facial Hair on 😘 I hope he decides to keep it because he looks absolutely Primal and is oozing with attitude like this 💪😎

Great episode. I really love episodes like this one that share and discuss the unknowns.

Maybe eating your dead could be seen as absorbing what your dead loved one's

Oh I love how the show goes into so much detail and possibilities.

Neanderthal rock art and a bone flute suggest to me that symbolic thought was there

Elephants also understand death and mourn their dead, circling around the deceased, speaking in ele-language. Whenever they pass by a deceased elephant, they pause at and circle around the body/bones, even if it's just a few bones remaining after several years.

I think I prefer learning this type of material through well researched novels, such as Jean Auel's Clan of the Cavebear, which was thoroughly researched and documented. She spent vast quantities of time with archeologists and anthropologists. She even included flowers in the burial of a respected medicine woman, Iza. The rest of the Children of the Earth series (five more novels) followed the path of cro-magnon (spelling?) peoples and how they differed.

This is really intriguing. As far as being, "human," this is something that is highly overrated. Many so called humans lack basic "humanity," and many animals have these qualities. The more people I know, the more I like my cat. 🐈

I would love a video on evolution's multiple experiments with flight in theropods.

Magpies have been repeatedly seen covering their dead relatives' bodies with flowers and other "precious" objects, so... Neanderthals most certainly had burial rituals.

Congrats to Blake on his new PR. 😎

Thank you. How the Neanderthals thought about their deaths (and the possibility of an afterlife) is actually a crucially important question that would be wonderful to answer).

Well when will the human civilization stop having some sort of superiority complex and instead just appreciate the diversity of nature

The thought of Neanderthal burials is just so lovely...

I believe they were more human than always thought. they had speech, art, cared for those sick & injured when they no longer contributed to the group. Unsurprisingly it seems they had reverence for their dead. Most importantly perhaps, they fought us Homo sapiens for one hundred thousand years. We had a much greater cranial capacity in those times and our genius & creativity could not resolve the problem of our cousins in all that time

I see it's bulking season for Blake 😌

“Where is Kurdistan” comments from Turks incoming.

if the nederthals first impulse about death was the clear out a person's browser cache and we definitely know they are like us

Thank you!

Other animals serm have concept of death even primitive animals like fish .but are fish really so primitive