Giambattista Vico (1668-1744) and Freud both claim to have discovered a ‘new science’ of the human. This essay considers some intellectual connections between their two views of man, consciousness and history. Both Vico and Freud find burial and origin to be keys to an understanding of the psyche and culture. Although some attention has been given to a connection between these two thinkers, this is the first time the fundamentals of their views have been explored in philosophical terms.