As of early 2026, the oldest known "purpose-built" burial site is widely attributed to the Rising Star Cave system in South Africa, associated with the hominid species Homo naledi. These burials date back approximately 240,000 to 335,000 years, predating known Homo sapiens burials by over 100,000 years. If confirmed as intentional "tombs," this discovery significantly shifts our understanding of when early humans (or their cousins) began practicing funerary rites. In terms of more "traditional" human architecture, the Panga ya Saidi cave in Kenya holds the record for the oldest Homo sapiens burial, dating to roughly 78,000 years ago. For structured, above-ground "tomb" architecture, the Tumulus of Bougon in France and the Barnenez cairn in Brittany are among the oldest, dating to approximately 4800 BCE. These Neolithic structures represent the earliest shift from simple burials to monumental stone architecture designed to honor the dead across generations.