Humanities Midtern

The earliest beginnings of religion, philosophy, art, and culture rested with the prehistoric peoples and their battle for survival in the vast wilderness of the past. In 1879, the first cave art was discovered at Altamira in Spain, which led to the discovery of more cave paintings across Europe. Some of the most notable caves paintings were found at Chauvet Cave in southern France. Many of the paintings were believed to be attached to the hunt. However, at Chauvet, many of the animals depicted were not animals that were hunted. This led archeologists to consider these paintings as a part of ritual, or religious ceremony. Although much study has been done on these paintings, the exact nature of them is lost to the people of that time.

Other artifacts of the Paleolithic Era represent the type of people and how they lived during that time period. Simple tools have been found, for example, the earliest shovels and sharpened rocks for cutting. This gave way to the belief that the earliest humans were most likely scavengers. As time progressed, man evolved and began to hunt. This ushered in the philosophy of hunters and gatherers. These peoples philosophy was to follow the herds, thereby always ensuring a food supply. Evidence of this change has been found in tools such as bows and arrows, fish hooks, and spears.

Additional art during this period consisted of females figures called Venus figures. They were small figures with large breasts and abdomens. It was thought that these figures were used as fertility symbols to the deities the people worshiped. It was believed that women had a special status in the Paleolithic culture and descent was through female lines.

Art was not only found in cave paintings and objects, but also on the human body. The Iceman, Azti, was a mummified man found in Iceland. The man had over 250 tattoos all over his body. Some of the body art was thought to relieve pain because they were centered over nerves.

As the Neolithic era began, so did the idea of sedentary living, or staying in one place. This was due to the start of agriculture around 8000 BCE. The cultivation of crops set in motion a great change in how people lived. During this time, less hunting was done and more focus was put on maintaining the crops. Situated by rivers, the crops could be easily watered and cared for, which produced a surplus of food. This brought about trade. The Neolithic people exchanged the surplus crops and other items for things they needed. Along with trade came a system of value, language and written records, and a justice system to determine the fairness of the trades.

Sedentary living gave people more time to pursue craft work, such as sewing, weaving, and pottery. Early pottery was made from shaping clay and then drying it in the hot sun, not making it very durable. However, it was useful for carrying crops and water; and, was also used for food preparation. Much

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