Burial of Neanderthals shows that they practiced burial rituals and possessed symbolic thinking long before modern humans
In Sima de las Palomas (Murcia, southeastern Spain), the burial of at least three Neanderthals was discovered, the age of which is estimated at 50 thousand years. The deceased were apparently buried "intentionally," with each Neanderthal's arms crossed over his chest and placed close to his head, the researchers said.
Hence, scientists admit, Neanderthals held funerals and had symbolic thinking before modern humans acquired this unique ability. The Sima de las Palomas site in Murcia, southeastern Spain may also be the first known Neanderthal burial site in Mediterranean Europe.
“We can't say much (about the skeletons) other than that we assume the site was somehow related to the remains of deceased Neanderthals,” lead author Michael Walker told Discovery News.
"Their tools and food remains, not to mention the signs of fires, which they apparently lit, indicate to us that they have visited this site more than once," the scientist added.
Walker, a professor in the Department of Zoology and Physical Anthropology at the University of Murcia, and his colleagues found the skeletons of a young adult woman, minor or child, as well as an adult - possibly a male - Neanderthal.
“We cannot say whether these three Neanderthals are somehow related to each other, due to the denaturation of their DNA due to the high ambient temperature. Of course, the child was associated with one of them,”experts say.
These three skeletons represent some of the best-preserved and most methodically excavated remains of the Neanderthals.
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“Such discoveries are extremely rare!” Said Mr. Walker.
Found Neanderthals were covered with a "headstone" of stones. And although the thought immediately comes that they were simply flunked, nevertheless, experts reject this version.
“I think there is ample evidence in Sima de las Palomas that these three Neanderthals were accident victims and whose troupes escaped the attacks of the hyenas and leopards that were also present at the site,” Walker said.
The raw bones of the panther's two paws were squeezed into the rock in a place where the rest of the animal skeleton was missing, despite the proximity to "human" skeletons, the authors say. The researchers believe that the Neanderthals may have deliberately cut off the panther's legs and left them behind. It is also possible that the paws were placed on the bodies before burial, which may have had a special ritual significance.
In conclusion, it is important to say that at the same site, scientists also found the remains of other Neanderthals.