Marshack notes:
"The earliest evidence of human image-making so far known occurs in the
Levant within a late Acheulian context containing a Levalloisian technique.
This evidence, dated at c. 250,000 BP, is 100,000 to 150,000 years earlier
than the proposed mtDNA dates for the proposed mtDNA dates (c.
100,000-200,000 BP) for the appearance of an African 'Eve', the supposed
genetic 'mother' of anatomically modern humans." Alexander Marshack, "The
Berekhat Ram Figurine: A Late Acheulian Carving from the Middle East,"
Antiquity 71(1997), p. 327-337, p. 328
In the article he also points out that art occurs much earlier than the
traditionally reported 40,000 years ago that many Christian apologists
mis-state.
He cites the rock art at Jinmium, Australia 75,000- >100,000 years and the
imagery in Palestine which dates to 54,000 years ago.
In a related religious note, there is evidence of cannibalism among the
inhabitants of Gran Dolina, Spain 780,000 years ago. The bones of the
humans showed clear signs of defleshing. Many primitive cultures deflesh
the dead and pass the bones of deceased out to relatives as a means of
passing "uncle Henry's" wisdom or spirit on to the clan. It is a religious
belief. If it was not defleshing, then it was cannibalism, also a means of
obtaining the spirit of the deceased for your own use--a religious belief.
(E. Carbonell et al, "Lower Pleistocene Hominids and Artifacts from
Atapuerca TD6 Spain," Science 269(1995), p. 826-830.
Spiritual humanity extends far back into the past.
glenn
Foundation, Fall and Flood
http://www.isource.net/~grmorton/dmd.htm