Storiascopio · Era 2 of 12 · primary year 3
The first deliberate burials
about 100,000 years ago · Skhul and Qafzeh caves, Israel
In short
About 100,000 years ago, in the Skhul and Qafzeh caves in Israel, some groups of Homo sapiens buried their dead, sometimes with objects beside them. Neanderthals buried their dead too. A burial made on purpose tells us that those people cared for their loved ones even after death.
Why it matters It is one of the first signs of symbolic thinking, meaning ideas that go beyond practical life.
Source: Smithsonian, Human Origins Program, “Qafzeh: Oldest Intentional Burial”
Where we are in the era “Prehistory”
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about 7 million years agoEvent 10 of 25about 5,300 years ago
Your turn
Name ______________________ Class ______ Date __________
When did it happen? Find the date at the top and write it here:
Tell it in your own words: what happened?
Draw the scene below.
storiascopio.com/en/event/the-first-deliberate-burials/ · free worksheet, you may photocopy it for your class