a lecture by Mary C. Stiner, Regents Professor, School of Anthropology, University of Arizona

Humans are the only animal species that bury their dead, and this practice is preserved in Paleolithic sites as early as 120,000 years ago. The emergence of burial traditions in this time period implies that both Neanderthals and early humans had already begun to conceive of the individual as unique and irreplaceable. Mary Stiner will discuss the archaeological evidence for burial practices in the Paleolithic, the earliest-known ritualized bridge between the living and the deceased in human evolutionary history.

Presented by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology. Free event parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

This event will be live-streamed on the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture (HMSC) Facebook page. A recording of this program will be available on the HMSC Lecture Videos page approximately three weeks after the lecture.