Proof our ancestors were NOT stupid

[billy]

It drives me absolutely crazy when I see "cavemen" on TV wearing shreds of animals skins as though they are rags.  And their speech is nothing more than grunts and growls.  I found an article online that I wanted to share with anyone who thinks early human ancestors were dumb brutes. 

http://reinep.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/400000-year-old-spears-found-in-an-german-coal-mine/

[billy]

Just wanted to add that these spears were created by a people who understood ballistics....objects in flight.  And they knew that balance was the key to getting these weapons to always land point-first.  These spears were made so the forward 1/3 contained the majority of weight, which is just how modern javelins are balanced.  And these cavemen were able to figure this out almost half a million years ago!   

[HoBow]

Good article. Thanks!

[Josh]

Awesome article.  I liked it. Thanks for posting it! 

[Tsalagi]

Compared to the time humans have existed overall, the "modern era" is the blink of an eye. Agriculture has got a loooooooooonnnng way to go before it can even nip at the heels of hunting as far as age goes.

[bowstring]

    Billy,
 I've had a gut feeling for a long time now that so called "Primitive" man was actually MUCH smarter, in thier own way, than us "Moderns". Thay ate clean food, drank clean water,and excersized daily,,,, chasin food, no doubt I believe we as a people have lost much and even the most primative of heart can only strive for the connections our ancestors enjoyed. as seen on someones signature here on PA, "Progress was a fine thing, but it's gone on far too long." Gotta love that,,,
    "bowstring"

[paganwannbe]

I never thought that "PRIMITIVE" man was stupid heck I think they were smarter then most modern humans take notice to most. Cause if you ask a "modern" human to build you something like this they will not be able to yet you ask some from 500,000 years ago they can make one obviously. But they did have communication well "cavemen" I think Neanderthal did to but I can't remember.They also had war with each other during the start of an ice age the Neanderthals had pointed heads and shorter stockier  while "caveman or "us" well looked like us.

[Dane]

Great article, thanks for posting.

Some of you may have read recently that Neanderthals cross-bred with humans. People with fair skin, freckles, and red hair are more likely to have Neanderthal ancestry, the ginger gene, I think I read about recently. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18869-neanderthal-genome-reveals-interbreeding-with-humans.html According to this article, anyone with ancestors outside of Africa likely has Neanderthals in the family tree.

Not as ancient, but highly cool, is the recent ancient shoe find. This is the oldest known leather shoe. I plan to try replicating it soon.

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/60099/title/Ancient_shoe_steps_out_of_cave_and_into_limelight

Dane

[Lombard]

I never believed the dumb brute crap anyway. We are their descendants, and if not for their intelligence and ability to adapt, we would not be here enjoying modern luxuries.   

[aero86]

uh oh, if dane is correct, i really am a cave man!  no wonder im always trying to get back to my roots( bows and atlatls..)

[HoBow]

It is all relative. They were very ignorant with some things we view simple just as we are very ignorant to many things they thought simple.

[Dane]

uh oh, if dane is correct, i really am a cave man!  no wonder im always trying to get back to my roots( bows and atlatls..)

Think about it....no mortgage payments on a cave, and no yard work as well. Cave men were brighter than we can imagine.

If you want to disturb people subtely, try walking but swing your arms to they match your legs....right arm with right leg, left arm with left leg. We normally walk alternating. It looks odd. Try it.

Dane

[Tsalagi]

Imagine how our conversations at work in this era translate to the Paleolithic era:

"Hey, Torg, another Monday, huh? Hey, did you see the spear-throwing playoffs yesterday?"

"Nahhhh....the wife needed me to help her hang some mammoth hide curtains over the front of our cave. I mean, what am I gonna say? It looks nice, it doesn't look nice...whadda I care? I just wanted to go watch the playoffs. Oh, well, whaddaya gonna do? If she ain't happy, we ain't happy."

"Yeah...., hey, so Grok is our new hunt leader. Thol just promoted him. How about that?"

"Yeah, how about that, great. It figures, the little brownnoser. 'Oh, Thol, those new mammoth hide boots you're wearing look great on you! Oh, Thol, that new spear you made is awesome!' BARF!! See, that's what I mean! The little brat sucks up and gets promoted. He's been hunting, what, two years now? Whatve we got, we been out there 6 years now! Don't see us leading hunts. For Nature Spirits' sake, Grok doesn't know enough to pour pee out of his own moccasin if there were cave paintings on the heel showing how. I think I'm going to call in sick tomorrow, maybe grab some fishing spears and go down to the lake. Wanna come?"

"I wish I could, but I can't afford to miss that deer hunt. I need the pelt to trade for this mammoth ivory necklace my wife has her eye on. Yeah, you know the one that the shaman has sitting on the trade pelt. Like you said, if she ain't happy, we ain't happy."

"Yeah, well, whaddya gonna do? Let's go ahead and show our faces before Ol' Brownnose docks us a couple pounds of meat for being late for the hunt..."

[Grunt]

If you really want proof check out these cave paintings.

http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?lng=en#/fr/00.xml

Go all the way to the left of screen and click on the British flag for English

[Dane]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBfIoJn5xgk

This is a link to a PBS show called The Human Spark, and narrarated by Alan Alda. Look around and watch all the episodes. I found it well worth the time, particularly the excavation parts of a Neanderthal shelter and a section on the atlatl.

Dane