The intentional character and symbolic significance of burials prior to 30,000 years ago, especially those of Neanderthals, remain the subject of intense debate. But there is enough evidence to believe that both anatomically modern humans and Neanderthals began burying their dead 100,000 years ago - and probably before, as suggested by the recent dating at 160,000 years of a Neanderthal burial site at Tabun, Israel.
距今3万年前以前的墓葬，特别是穴居人墓葬的目的性特点和象征意义仍然是激烈争论的主题。但有足够的证据使我们相信解剖学意义上的现代人和穴居人在10万年前-或更早以前，就开始埋葬死者。最近在以色列Tabun发现的距今16万年的穴居人墓葬就证明了这一点。