- cross-posted to:
- anthropology@mander.xyz
- cross-posted to:
- anthropology@mander.xyz
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“Based on most Upper Palaeolithic cave incursions, we could assume that they represent some kind of symbolic or ritual behavior, but could they rather have served for an unknown domestic use or simply as a refuge?”
Or perhaps, just perhaps they found it amusing, much like modern-day adults are building sandcastles the size of a bull, or are placing rocks upon rocks, or stack wood, or something. Who said that everything a human does absolutely has to serve some important and complicated purpose?
Apparently we raised a generation of accountant-researchers. They maight be skilled in their relevant fields, but they no longer have the creativity and imagination required to understand people, life and the world that surrounds them.
Somewhere out there, Feynman is rolling in his grave.
what make you distrust researcher so much? I mean we can speculate all we want about the cave, thoses people studied the subjects for way more time than us, their opinion might weight a bit more
what make you distrust researcher so much?
I distrust anyone who lacks imagination and is afraid to think outside of the box.
I mean we can speculate all we want about the cave, thoses people studied the subjects for way more time than us, their opinion might weight a bit more
An experience and degree in any field of research does not make a man good researcher. History is filled with “experts” who were wrong, terribly wrong.
Or perhaps, just perhaps they found it amusing, much like modern-day adults are building sandcastles the size of a bull, or are placing rocks upon rocks, or stack wood, or something.
But that is exactly what they mean by symbolic or ritual behavior. Ritual is, of course, archeology slang for “idfk why they did this”. Although it is often defined as something strictly spiritual, it is not always used that way in practice, and can be thought of as more of any physical act, that serves no practical purpose other than perhaps in a cultural or communal sense.
Symbol behavior, on the other hand, encompass all of the things you mention here: sand castles are a prime example of symbol behavior, as is arguably rock and wood stacking, although sand castles are very obviously using one thing to represent another, and rock and wood stacking are more abstract.
Either way, you are saying the same thing they are but in different words.
I know what you mean, but I can provide more examples of things we do for no specific or important reason, sometimes subconsciously or without giving it much thought.
That’s the point I’m trying to make here: not everything has to serve some important or conscious purpose.
It becomes more and more clear that there was very little difference between us and Neanderthals.
