Recent evidence suggests Neanderthals had sophisticated burial habits.
Shanidar cave archeological site in Iraq revealed amazing things on our cousins. They buried intentionally their dead.
They were adorning their graves with flours and they were burning their dead with respect and care.
Remains of an older male Neanderthal who suffered injuries in his head , was blind and disabled showed some other clan members were helping him to eat and survive.
This complex funerary behavior suggests Neanderthals had superior cognitive abilities and social customs.
Neanderthal burial practices were deliberate.
La Ferrassie , France
In La Ferrassie , France a Neanderthal child was intentionally buried. Some skeletons found showed evidence of body burial preparation such as cuts in bones.
Neanderthal buried their dead and conducted funerary rites with flowers and that shows they were closer to modern humans than we previously thought.
Shanidar cave discoveries
Shanidar cave discoveries suggested Neanderthals were taking care of their old ones and therefore they were far more sophisticated creatures.
The fact they were mourning and burying their dead makes them far closer to us in thought and action and they were capable of symbolic thought and of developing rich cultures.
Neanderthals were like us in that they cared for their sick and elderly.
Still many people visualize Neanderthals as nasty, brutish, and small, barely intelligent creatures. Even though
Suggested reading and recommended videos :
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/131216-la-chapelle-neanderthal-burials-graves,
https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-evidence-points-to-neanderthal-burial-rituals/,
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/05/europe/neanderthal-burials-skeleton-study-scn/index.html,https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/shanidarz#:~:text=Four%20individuals%20were%20found%20clustered,Human%2Dlike%20ritual%20behaviour
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