The end of the Pleistocene in Southwest Asia is widely known for the emergence of socially-complex hunter-gatherers—the Natufians—characterized by a rich material culture record, including elaborate burials. In comparison, human interments that predate the Natufian are rare. The discovery and excavation of a hut structure at the 20,000-year-old Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh IV in eastern Jordan reveals the remains of an adult female intentionally placed in a semi-flexed position on one of the structure’s floors. The structure was burned down shortly after her deposition, extensively charring the human remains. The burying of the dead within structures and the burning of domestic structures are well-known from later Neolithic periods, although their combination as a mortuary practice is rare. However, for the Early Epipalaeolithic, the burning of a structure containing the primary deposition of human remains is novel and signifies an early appearance for the intentional burning of bodies as a mortuary treatment and symbolic behaviors associated with the interrelated life histories of structures and people.

西南亚的更新世末期以社会错综复杂的狩猎采集者Natufians的出现而广为人知，其特征是拥有丰富的物质文化记录，包括精心制作的墓葬。相比之下，在纳图夫主义之前的人类纪念活动很少。在约旦东部Kharaneh IV的具有20,000年历史的上古石器时代遗址中发现并挖掘了一个小屋结构，揭示出故意将成年女性的遗体放置在该结构的一层地板上的半弯曲位置。她的遗体不久就被烧毁，大量遗骸被烧焦。在新石器时代后期，将尸体埋在建筑物中和焚烧家用建筑物是众所周知的，尽管很少将它们结合起来作为房。但是，对于早期的旧石器时代，