Different researchers have produced different estimates of the time required, depending on assumptions about the specific materials and techniques used.

But even conservative estimates put the total labor investment in the hundreds of minutes at minimum, and potentially in many hours.

This is not, on reflection, surprising.

The preparation of elaborate burials — including the manufacture of specific grave goods — is documented across many cultures and time periods, and the labor investment is often substantial.

In cultures that have left historical records, the preparation of royal or elite burials could consume the labor of many people for days or weeks.

What is striking about the Mal’ta burial is that it lavished this kind of investment on a child.