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Abstract
Abstract
Mortuary practice is defined as how humans dispose of and treat their dead. We are familiar with elaborate burials such as the entombment of pharaohs in the pyramids at Giza; Necropolises of the Valley of the Kings and Queens; the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus; the Taj Mahal in India; Viking funeral pyres on boats; and the modern jazz funerals of New Orleans. Caring for our dead is believed to be a modern concept, practiced by Homo Sapiens. However, archeological excavations and scientific analyses show burial practices predate modern man, practiced by our ancient ancestors such as Neanderthal, Homo Naledi, and Heidlelbergensis, dating back as far as 400,000 years ago. Among modern humans, mortuary behaviors conform to established conventions of the particular society enacting them, yet they are present in all societies, thus providing a basis for analogies between the present and the past. (Hovers, E. 2013). Decades of work in the field by Dr. Jane Goodall with her chimpanzees have shown that they have emotions, and experience grief and loss. Since they are our closest relatives, can it be deduced that ancient hominins also experienced grief and loss, and therefore engaged in mortuary practices? The archaeological discoveries in Sima de los Huesos, Spain, the Rising Star cave system in South Africa, Shanidar Cave, Iraq, and La Chapelle aux Saints in France strengthen this theory. This research discusses those major discoveries, and the inevitable conclusions of paleoanthropologists to give us a glimpse into how our early ancestors treated their dead.
Publication Date
2026
Subject Major(s)
Anthropology
Keywords
prehistoric burials; homo naledi; hominin burials; neanderthal burials;
Disciplines
Archaeological Anthropology | Biological and Physical Anthropology | Other Anthropology | Social and Cultural Anthropology
Current Academic Year
Senior
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Dr. Marie Vergamini
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Dr. Christopher Brooks
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Dr. Bernard Means
Rights
© The Author(s)
Recommended Citation
McRae, Regina (2026) Did our Prehistoric Ancestors Engage in Mortuary Practices?
Included in
Archaeological Anthropology Commons, Biological and Physical Anthropology Commons, Other Anthropology Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons