2007-01-02 03:25:23 · 29 answers · asked by Max 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It's been a while since I've seen the Flinstones so I can't really tell you
2007-01-02 03:27:05 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
As an archaeologist I would have to say that many people professing that evidence suggest anything are speaking a lot of rubbish.
Firstly, our species only evolved in Africa at an estimated 120,000 years ago. Secondly, the cave paintings date to about (earliest) c. 35,000 years ago. Thirdly, there is absolutely no sign (bar some pollen in a Neanderthal child's grave in Iraq (Shanidar) of hominid spirituality before our species and the - though its arguable on many counts - Aurignacian. The truth is that there is an archaeological void when it comes to religion and hominids in that period, with only stone tools and the odd fossil providing any evidence of existence let alone spirituality.
The idea of spirituality in species before ours is possible, in that the evidence may have decayed by the time it has been excavated. Any spirituality I guess would be based around nature and the desire to control prey through "magic". Of course, simply subsisting may have meant there was no time for religion. And, arguably, that species before ours may not have been capable of the concept of Gods and other spiritual planes of existence.
2007-01-02 11:57:15 · answer #2 · answered by AaronO 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't think there are any artifacts from that long ago that are explicitly religious in nature. I believe the oldest artifact that is postulated to be religious is about 60,000 years old.
And just to clarify, anatomically modern humans do not appear in the fossil record until 130,000 years ago. So any artifact from 200kya would have to be from Neanderthals or earlier subspecies of H. sapiens.
That notwithstanding, it is likely that these people may have had some type of nature or ancestor worship.
2007-01-02 11:41:08 · answer #3 · answered by gebobs 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Based on the paintings found on the walls of caves, one could conclude that cavemen were animists. (animal worship) They show the souls of animals rising up. Since the animals had provided for all of their survival needs, they could have formed a religion based on animism for that reason.
The caveman paintings at Altamira, Spain, are about 30,000 years old. http://www.showcaves.com/english/es/showcaves/Altamira.html
2007-01-02 11:42:01 · answer #4 · answered by Illuminator 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have read some of the good answers to this question and applaud you. There is no GOD as GOD is all of us. GOD is a manmade creation when some people many thousands of years ago wanted to put the sh*ts up people to elevate themselves to a position of power. Religion sucks man why do people still follow these thousands of year old traditions, I'll tell you why coz your all sh*t scared. You live then you die end of. Just have some fun during the waiting period and be kind to your fellow man.
2007-01-02 12:31:26 · answer #5 · answered by multibite 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Nobody knows. There are, of course, no written records dating that far back, and various artifacts may have had a religious purpose -- or not. Paleontologists do a lot of head scratching over the possible purpose of things that might have been tools.
2007-01-02 12:12:28 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
animist or some variation thereof. the only real cave dwellers at that time were neandertals in europe and possibly some javanese jungle cave dwellers in southeast asia. the cro-mags had moved into communal bush living by that time. point being the religious inclinations of the cave dwellers were likely very different from those of the more advanced bush dwellers.
2007-01-02 12:14:15 · answer #7 · answered by Super G 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you believe there were cavemen 200,000 years ago, it doesn't matter does it? There weren't.
2007-01-02 11:31:24 · answer #8 · answered by Jay Z 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
200,000 years ago modern humans did not exist, so religion (as we understand it) also did not come into being until the first Modern human beings evolved around- 100,000 - 80,000 years ago.
Most early religions either worshipped sun gods or lunar goddesses such as Diana, or both, their high priests would have been local shamans.
2007-01-04 15:08:34 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would imagine they lived very much like the Native American Indians and other natives around the world. Then someone asked the question " Why are we here" The birth of religion.
2007-01-02 11:49:37 · answer #10 · answered by MARKSMAN 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
According to most devout Christians & Bible Thumpers, there was no 200,000 years ago.
God gave man Free-Will, Religion (MAN) has removed it from so many!
2007-01-02 14:00:14 · answer #11 · answered by John Trent 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋