Did Neanderthals believe in an afterlife?

The researchers speculate that a Neanderthal cut off the panther paws and kept them. It is also possible that the paws were added to the bodies before burial, perhaps holding some ritual significance. you dont bury something with someone, unless you think they can use it.

I thought this question was answered in the affirmative years ago... am I wrong? We've been finding red ocher on their faces and such - along with general utensils (knives, hammer-stones, etc) - so I had thought we knew this.

Preparation of the body and a funeral doesn't necessarily equate to an afterlife. It could simply mean a respect for the individual.

Preparation of the body and a funeral doesn't necessarily equate to an afterlife. It could simply mean a respect for the individual. Exactly. We buried my dog with some of his toys. It was a symbolic gesture. We don't believe he's actually playing with them in the afterlife.

Lol, yea but let's says your dog is playing with them in his afterlife...it's like Christianity..might as well give it a try so if it is real you don't end up in Hell, but if it isn't real well...throw some dough in my caskett, I'd like to start off a little wealthier my next life IMO

They have enough DNA, the clever guys should clone one and then we can find out all we need to know.

So the people in the grave were protecting their faces with their hands,(maybe) and the rocks were placed from a height? The only way I know to place a rock from a height is to throw it...could this be a stoning?

They have enough DNA, the clever guys should clone one and then we can find out all we need to know. Problem is, he'd be something of a product of the environment he was raised in. We could recreate the being, but not the culture that surrounded them.

I read an article not too long ago that argued for neanderthals worshipping Cave Bears in Germany as some sort of deities, so it's not a far cry from any other religious beliefs (assuming that this article, plus the afore mentioned article are correct). The big cat paws are interesting though, although I'm not entirely convinced that this holds any religious significance. They may just have been kill trophies from life (if they were associated with the burial at all, the researcher sounds a tad unsure); similarly Neanderthals were quite obviously social animals and a burial ritual maybe more a... [More]

All religion have so many method and procedure before getting buried or burnt. Its all just belief or any useful scientific reason can be found in this.