Afterlife

Look: Ancient grave recasts gender roles in hunter-gatherer societies

by Jennifer Walter
Rome, Italy, May 10 -- An impressive figure of the death in a grave inside the church of Santa Maria...
Photo Beto/iStock Unreleased/Getty Images

Sir Francis Canker Photography/Moment/Getty Images

How we die can tell us a lot about how we live.

Ancient burials, in turn, shed light on prehistoric beliefs about ritual, religion, and social hierarchies.

The burials of young children and infants hold special significance: We are given a window into how ancient adults treated the youngest members of their society.

Photo 12/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
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