I accept your definition and by that definition anyone engaging in
religious activities would be human. This would include the building of
altars.
>>I have cited the Golan Venus at 300 kyr
>
> This at best would only be evidence of art, which is not a criterion for
> having a relationship with God. But a recent microscoping study concluded
> that the marks around the `neck' were probably made by a stone tool, but
> was indistinguishable from mere scratching:
That is certainly disputable. Alexander Marshack is the world's leading
authority on Paleolithic art. He invented the study of art objects by
microsopic inspection. He believes the Golan Venus is man-made.
"As a result of that study, the pebble was further examined by Dr. Sergiu
Peltz, a vulcanologist and pyroclastic specialist at the Geological Survey
of Israel, who declared that, despite Pelcin, it was definitely not a
scoria but was an intentionally modified fragment, a fine-grained
agglomerate matrix of 'basalitc lapilli tuff' that incorporated scoria
clasts." ~ Alexander Marshack, "The Berekhat Ram Figurine: A Late Acheulian
Carving from the Middle East," Antiquity 71(1997), p. 327-337, p. 328-329
"Microscopic study revealed both intentionally made and natural
morphological differences on each side and in each area of the figurine.
These are totally unlike the grooving or aerodynamic forms that Pelcin
indicated could be produced in hot, soft, ejected scoria." ~ Alexander
Marshack, "The Berekhat Ram Figurine: A Late Acheulian Carving from the
Middle East," Antiquity 71(1997), p. 327-337, p. 330
"The 'arm' consists of planes and grooves incised and scraped at different
angles. One groove, which forms the upper part of the arm, descends to the
bend of the elbow. Another groove is incised under the arm. The arm
itself is separated from the chest by a flat, relatively wide, scraped
plane. The grooves and planes show evidence of scraping and bevelling." ~
Alexander Marshack, "The Berekhat Ram Figurine: A Late Acheulian Carving
from the Middle East," Antiquity 71(1997), p. 327-337, p. 332
He concludes:
"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
>
>>and the apparent religious altar at Bilzingsleben 400 kyr
>
> I aware of stone hearths at Bilzingsleben but not of an "apparent
religious
> altar" there. Perhaps Glenn can provide quotes and references?
I have given these before but I will do so again.
"The home base of early man from Bilzingsleben was situated on a shore
terrace close to the outflow of a karst spring into a small lake. Previous
excavations revealed a division of the camp site into different activity
areas and outlines of three simple shelters with hearths and workshops set
up in front of them. Five to 8 m from the dwelling structures, an
artificially paved area with a diameter of 9 m was found. According to the
archaeological evidence, special cultural activities may have been carried
out there.
~ D. Mania and U. Mania and E. Vlcek, "Latest Finds of Skull Remains of
Homo erectus from Bilzingsleben (Thruingia)", Naturwissenschaften,
81(1994), p. 123-127, p. 124
What was the archaeological evidence of 'social activities'?
"But Mania's most intriguing find lies under a protective shed. As he
opens the door sunlight illuminates a cluster of smooth stones and pieces
of bone that he believes were arranged by humans to pave a 27-foot-wide
circle.
"'They intentionally paved this area for cultural activities,' says Mania.
'We found here a large anvil of quartzite set between the horns of a huge
bison, near it were fractured human skulls.'" ~ Rick Gore, "The First
Europeans," National Geographic, July, 1997, p. 110
If I saw that in a modern primitive village, I would turn tail and run
fearing for my life.
Neanderthal religion may have been found in Nahr Ibrahim.
"In the Mousterian cave shelter of Nahr Ibrahim in Lebanon the bones of a
fallow deer (Dama mesopotamia) were gathered in a pile and topped by the
skull cap. Many of the bones were unbroken and still articulated. Around
the animal were bits of red ochre. While red ochre was common in the area
and so may have been introduced inadvertently, the arrangement of the
largely unbroken bones suggests a ritual use of parts of the animal." ~
Alexander Marshack, "Early Hominid Symbol and Evolution of the Human
Capacity," in Paul Mellars, The Emergence of Modern Humans, (Ithica:
Cornell Univ. Press, 1990), pp 457-498, p. 481
"The most interesting feature in the Middle Palaeolithic deposits of Nahr
Ibrahim cave was the collection of bones which appear to have been the
partial skeletal remains of a ritual burial of a fallow deer(Dama
mesopotamica), as identified in the field. This feature was found in the
inner part of the central gallery at about a meter below the present cave
surface, or at about 15.30 m elevation...There was a main cluster of bones
lying in association with numerous flints and a heavy concentration of
small limestone fragments were found small bits of a natural red earth
colored matter, identified in the field as red ochre." ~ Ralph S. Solecki,
"A Ritual Middle Palaeolithic Deer Burial at Nahr Ibrahim Cave, Lebanon,"
Archeologie au Levant, Recueil R. Saidah, CMO 12, Arch. 9, Lyon, 1982, pp
47-56, p. 51
It is interesting that the chemical make up of the ochre indicates that it
was brought in from elsewhere and was not natural to the cave.
"In a personal communication of January 24, 1981, Prof. J. Steven Kopper of
Long Island University, identified the red earth material as a
mag-hematite. This is a variety of the ferruginous stone hematite. He was
of the opinion that this material was actually brought in from elsewhere or
the outside. It was present as homogenous lumps of material, and found in
discrete or concentrated spots, and not in a lenticular occurrence as might
be expected under undisturbed natural conditions." ~ Ralph S. Solecki, "A
Ritual Middle Palaeolithic Deer Burial at Nahr Ibrahim Cave, Lebanon,"
Archeologie au Levant, Recueil R. Saidah, CMO 12, Arch. 9, Lyon, 1982, pp
47-56, p. 55
And there is burial which only humans perform:
"In the same cave, Vandermeersch discovered a Mousterian sepulcher with an
offering of a cervid, possibly Dama mesopotamica. The burial consisted of
a child about ten years old with which was interred a deer slaughterd for
the sad occasion. The association of animals with Middle Palaeolithic
interments have been found elsewhere in the Near East." ~ Ralph S. Solecki,
"A Ritual Middle Palaeolithic Deer Burial at Nahr Ibrahim Cave, Lebanon,"
Archeologie au Levant, Recueil R. Saidah, CMO 12, Arch. 9, Lyon, 1982, pp
47-56, p. 56
> But clearly at one level "humanity" does "rest in the shape of our bones."
> Palaeontologists define taxonomic categories based on "the shape
> of...bones." Some hominids (eg. Australopithecines) are ruled out of the
> genus Homo (the lowest level definition of humanity) based on the "shape
> of" their "bones."
Well the shape of neanderthal and Homo erectus bones are such that they are
very, very much like ours.
>
> But as I have said many times before, *full* humanity rests in our capacity
> to have a relationship with God.
Building altars is an evidence of an ability or capacity to have a
relationship with God. There is no other way to interpret it.
glenn
Adam, Apes and Anthropology
Foundation, Fall and Flood
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