Prehistoric cemeteries are referred to by the more neutral term grave field. Round graves with one pot were used in the Badarian Period (4400-3800 B.C.E.), continuing the tradition of Omari and Maadi cultures. In ancient Egypt, customs developed during the Predynastic period. A variety of grave goods were present at the site, including the mandible of a wild boar in the arms of one of the skeletons. Human skeletal remains stained with red ochre were discovered in the Skhul cave at Qafzeh, Israel.
Though there is ongoing debate regarding the reliability of the dating method, some scholars believe the earliest human burial dates back 100,000 years. Some scholars, however, argue that these bodies may have been disposed of for secular reasons. Exemplary sites include Shanidar in Iraq, Kebara Cave in Israel and Krapina in Croatia. Intentional burial, particularly with grave goods, may be one of the earliest detectable forms of religious practice since, as Philip Lieberman suggests, it may signify a "concern for the dead that transcends daily life." Evidence suggests that the Neanderthals were the first human species to practice burial behavior and intentionally bury their dead, doing so in shallow graves along with stone tools and animal bones.
The location of the burial may be determined by taking into account concerns surrounding health and sanitation, religious concerns, and cultural practices. Depending on the culture, the way the body is positioned may have great significance. Sometimes objects or grave goods are buried with the body, which may be dressed in fancy or ceremonial garb. Methods of burial may be heavily ritualized and can include natural burial (sometimes called "green burial") embalming or mummification and the use of containers for the dead, such as shrouds, coffins, grave liners, and burial vaults, all of which can retard decomposition of the body. It has been used to prevent the odor of decay, to give family members closure and prevent them from witnessing the decomposition of their loved ones, and in many cultures it has been seen as a necessary step for the deceased to enter the afterlife or to give back to the cycle of life. Burial is often seen as indicating respect for the dead. Humans have been burying their dead since shortly after the origin of the species. A funeral is a ceremony that accompanies the final disposition. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objects in it, and covering it over. Underwater funeral in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea from an edition with drawings by Alphonse de Neuville and Édouard Riouīurial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects.