Name: A Neanderthal Burial
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Until recently, scientists have encountered scant evidence of Neanderthal ritual or religious practice. A new discovery, though, suggests that Neanderthals—much like today’s bear hunters—ceremoniously cut off panther paws and kept them as trophies.

Scientists think a posed body alongside a panther paw are evidence of Neanderthal rites.

A Neanderthal Burial

Neanderthal Burial

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<div class="rich-text"><p>
	Until recently, scientists have encountered scant evidence of Neanderthal ritual or religious practice. A new discovery, though, suggests that Neanderthals—much like today's bear hunters—ceremoniously cut off panther paws and kept them as trophies.</p>
</div>

<div class="rich-text">Scientists think a posed body alongside a panther paw are evidence of Neanderthal rites.</div>

Evolution

<div class="rich-text"><h3>
 Decoding Neanderthals
</h3>
<p>
 PBS Airdate: January 9, 2013
</p>
<p>
 Inside this cave, a team, led by Michael Walker, excavated a deep shaft, in which they found more than 300 bones from around 10 Neanderthals, buried by rock falls from the unstable ceiling.
</p>
<p>
 Three of the Neanderthals stood out. Walker thinks they weren't necessarily the victims of a rock fall.
</p>
<p>
<em>
  MICHAEL WALKER (University of Murcia):
 </em>
 If there are rocks falling on you from a natural rock fall, it would be very strange to find nobody trying to escape. And one of them is with the hands close to the head, in almost sleeping position.
</p>
<p>
<em>
  NARRATOR:
 </em>
 Although the bones of this young female are fused to the limestone rock and are hard to see, Michael Walker thinks her body may have been carefully arranged in a fetal position.
</p>
<p>
 If he's right, this was no rock fall. Around 50,000 years ago, someone had intentionally buried her, piling stones to protect her body.
</p>
<p>
 And this cave had yet more to reveal. Near to the girl's body, Walker's team uncovered the fossilized bones of a pair of panther paws.
</p>
<p>
<em>
  MICHAEL WALKER:
 </em>
 This articulated paw of a panther was found close by. And since the panther hadn't eaten and disturbed the bones here, it's more likely the Neanderthals disturbed the panther and cut its paw off.
</p>
<p>
 I just wonder whether, in the way that hunters in America cut off bear paws, I'm just wondering whether Neanderthals cut off the panther paw and kept it as a trophy.
</p></div>

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