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Published byMargaretMargaret Tate Modified over 9 years ago
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Tsodilo Hills snake rock: first evidence of religion
Tsodilo Hills snake rock: first evidence of religion? Beads and body ornaments: evidence of trade networks? Tsodilo Hills of Botswana. Ritually-modified snake-rock, dated to around 70,000 ybp 6 meter long by 2 meter high. The python plays an especially prominent role in San creation myths and Tsodilo hills are thought to be sacred. Still Bay & Howieson’s Poort “precocious” industries, “exotic” microliths ,000 ybp Beads 100,000-70,000 ybp (Blombos Cave, SA; Skhul, Israel; Oued Djebbana, Algeria site potential hxaro gifts) As societies becoming increasingly dissimilar greater policing required to ensure cooperation
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Bruniquel Cave (France) vs
Bruniquel Cave (France) vs. Rhino Cave (Tsodilo Hills, Botswana) Neanderthal and Homo Sapiens’ Cave Rituals Tsodilo Hills, central Botswana, from a distance Bruniquel: all materials used found in the cave Rhino: exotic materials brought to the cave and burned and destroyed in ritual activity Rhino cave rituals higher “cost”
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UP religion Les Trois Freres “Sorcerer” image
Bird-man image from shaft at Lascaux Both dated to Magdalenian era 18,000-12,000 ybp
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UP Painted Caves Chauvet Cave 30,000 ybp
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Altamira 16,000 ybp
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Lascaux 16,000 ybp
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Early UP evidence of religion
Sungir burial 28,000ybp Hohlenstein-Stadel “lion-man” 30,000ybp Fumane Cave “shaman” 35,000ybp
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Supernatural value monitoring: Gods who care
Earliest forms of religion represented supernatural layer to social life Animism: personalizing the natural world Shamanism: mediating between the natural and supernatural Ancestors: guardians of tradition and taboo Humans always behave better when being watched, a supernaturalized social world is one with constant monitoring. Human relationships and community “elevated” by presumed value monitoring
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Why “supernaturalize” social life?
Group benefits Supernaturalized rituals more effective in promoting group cohesion and trust Orthodox kibbutz, religions communes more cohesive, enduring, individuals more self-sacrificing compared to secular. Group competition likely in ancestral past (64% engaged in regular group warfare; only 11% “peaceful”)
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Ritual and norm following
Following norms of: - in-group cooperativeness - self-restraint - commitment in marriage - honesty - charity All positively correlated in increased ritual activity Support for extreme form of norm-following, parochial altruism, cross-culturally associated with increased ritual participation (Ginges, et al., 2009). Experimental study (Wiltermuth & Heath, 2009); those who participated in group-coordinated; synchronized activities more cooperative and generous later (“muscular bonding”)
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Heeding the message: Creating complex societies through social norms
Only humans have social norms Chimps are “rational maximizers” in “dictator” games; no third party punishment among chimps Social norms vs. conventions Conventions: rules for coordinating activity Morally weighty social rules that all are “ought” to follow (character, reputation, social standing, and social sanctions determined by norms). Con: raising hands to be recognized Norm: respecting elders, repaying debts etc.
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Why did Cro-Magnons replace Neanderthals?
Cognitive differences alone seem inadequate Cooperative Hunting (Le Cotte) Worked beads/pendants (Arcy sur Cure) Art? (La Roche-Cotard mask) These finds are relatively rare
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Consistent social differences
Cro-Magnon sites consistently larger, more frequent, more spatially organized (sometimes), more intensely used and occupied, higher population densities, greater seasonal aggregation. Evidence of long-distance trading networks
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Stronger Social Identity
First evidence of body ornaments sometime between ,000 ybp. Emergence of durable social marking Expansion of Parietal lobe – greater capacity for social categorization. “Troop to tribe” transition
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An older generation Caspari and Lee (2004) analyzed tooth samples from Australopiths, Early Homo, Neanderthals, and Cro-Magnons. Older/Younger adults (Older = 2X average age of reproduction) A=.12; EH=.25; N=.39; C-M=2.08. Only among UP modern humans was there evidence of an older generation.
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Effects of an Older Generation
Greater security and stability: more eyes to watch children, more hands to procure resources. Cultural continuity: traditions, skills more effectively passed on, stronger cultural identity. Social role specialization: domestic/economic tasks can be more effectively spread among adult group members. Sex-role specialization.
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