Neanderthals lived around two hundred thousand to thirty thousand years ago. They did indeed bury their dead. Recent archaeological excavations in caves located in Wales suggest that bodies of up to fifteen members dating back to two hundred and twenty five thousand years ago.
It is not clear why exactly why they indulged in burials but it is clear that it did hold some ritual importance owing to the objects and trinkets found at the site. The sites they used for burial included burying in holes dug into the ground or recesses within caves. It may have been a way of protecting the corpses from predators or simply a way of avoiding scavengers from getting the stink and drawing near. The status of the person dying could be ascertained to a degree by the number of objects found buried with them.
It is not clear why exactly why they indulged in burials but it is clear that it did hold some ritual importance owing to the objects and trinkets found at the site. The sites they used for burial included burying in holes dug into the ground or recesses within caves. It may have been a way of protecting the corpses from predators or simply a way of avoiding scavengers from getting the stink and drawing near. The status of the person dying could be ascertained to a degree by the number of objects found buried with them.