Middle East

Kong Asgers Høj

Humans begin burying dead, perhaps in modern-day Israel

The earliest practice of human burial, dating back to sites like Qafzeh Cave in modern-day Israel, marked a monumental achievement in human history. This deliberate act of interment created cohesive social communities and provided a shared ritual for processing grief. More profoundly, it required advanced abstract thought and planning, affirming the inherent value of the individual beyond survival. This invention of ritual laid the essential foundation for all subsequent human culture and civilization.