The sub-article on Shanidar 1 is interesting too form this perspective on possible early spiritual founding within the human psyche.
This guy was old for a Neanderthal and had sustained quite a few injuries that most likely would have done him in were it not for aid and assistance he got form his group.
...this has been used to infer that Neanderthals looked after their sick and aged, denoting implicit group concern.
Add this to Shanidar 2 who was evidently given quite a send-off by his group which involved his "mourners" evidently getting somewhat drunk at his "funeral".
This type of attention says a little more to me than good comradeship. All these things taken together point to an "expectation" of something beyond this life "reinforced" by how they treated each other, outside of certainly any written or even societal code to be "enforced" within it.
Why would they have done it beyond even "friendship" which otherwise would have seemed to come to an end with their deaths but for that "something" which would seem to give "continued" coherence to "the group"?
Given this sense makes me suspect that that the flowers were actually placed there for Shanidar 4 and not a result of rodent activity later on.
When did humans really sense the "neshama" within themselves?
Very interesting indeed.
Thanks again, and Best to You And Yours.
ping