The Venus of Laussel, a stone relief of a seated woman
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Prehistoric religion is the religious practice of prehistoric cultures. Prehistory, the period before written records, makes up the bulk of human experience; over 99% of human experience occurred during the Paleolithic period alone. Prehistoric cultures spanned the globe and existed for over two and a half million years; their religious practices were many and varied, and the study of them is difficult due to the lack of written records describing the details of their faiths.
The cognitive capacity for religion likely first emerged in Homo sapiens sapiens, or anatomically modern humans, although some scholars posit the existence of Neanderthal religion and sparse evidence exists for earlier ritual practice. Excluding sparse and controversial evidence in the Middle Paleolithic (300,000–50,000 years ago), religion emerged with certainty in the Upper Paleolithic around 50,000 years ago. Upper Paleolithic religion was possibly shamanic, oriented around the phenomenon of special spiritual leaders entering trance states to receive esoteric spiritual knowledge. These practices are extrapolated based on the rich and complex body of art left behind by Paleolithic artists, particularly the elaborate cave art and enigmatic Venus figurines they produced.
The Neolithic Revolution, which established agriculture as the dominant lifestyle, occurred around 12,000 BC and ushered in the Neolithic. Neolithic society grew hierarchical and inegalitarian compared to its Paleolithic forebears, and their religious practices likely changed to suit. Neolithic religion may have become more structural and centralised than in the Paleolithic, and possibly engaged in ancestor worship both of one's individual ancestors and of the ancestors of entire groups, tribes, and settlements. One famous feature of Neolithic religion were the stone circles of the British Isles, of which the best known today is Stonehenge. A particularly well-known area of late Neolithic through Chalcolithic religion is Proto-Indo-European mythology, the religion of the people who first spoke the Proto-Indo-European language, which has been partially reconstructed through shared religious elements between early Indo-European language speakers.
Bronze Age and Iron Age religions are understood in part through archaeological records, but also, more so than Paleolithic and Neolithic, through written records; some societies had writing in these ages, and were able to describe those which did not. These eras of prehistoric religion see particular cultural focus today by modern reconstructionists, with many pagan faiths today based on the pre-Christian practices of protohistoric Bronze and Iron Age societies.
and 28 Related for: Prehistoric religion information
Prehistoricreligion is the religious practice of prehistoric cultures. Prehistory, the period before written records, makes up the bulk of human experience;...
of the country's composite diverse culture. Evidence attesting to prehistoricreligion in the Indian "subcontinent" derives from scattered Mesolithic rock...
Ancient religion may refer to: Prehistoricreligion Paleolithic religion Neolithic religion Bronze and Iron Age religion: Religions of the ancient Near...
society Paleoanthropology Pantribal sodality Prehistoric medicine Prehistoric music PrehistoricreligionPrehistoric warfare Younger Dryas McCall, Daniel F...
are not confined to the Indian subcontinent. Evidence attesting to prehistoricreligion in the Indian subcontinent derives from scattered Mesolithic rock...
Anthropology of religion Behavioral modernity Evolutionary psychology of religion Grave field Mother Goddess Prehistoricreligion Predating even Australopithecus...
While the word religion is difficult to define, one standard model of religion used in religious studies courses defines it as [a] system of symbols which...
authority. The term is most often used to refer to theories of prehistoric matriarchal religions that were proposed by scholars such as Johann Jakob Bachofen...
European prehistory. The symbol's ubiquity and apparent importance in prehistoricreligion have given rise to its interpretation as a solar symbol, whence the...
colonialism. Prehistoricreligion Paleolithic religionReligions of the ancient Near East Ancient Egyptian religion Ancient Semitic religion Ancient Iranian...
prehistoricreligion of Neolithic Europe. Bronze and Iron Age religion in Europe as elsewhere was predominantly polytheistic (Ancient Greek religion,...
The evolutionary origin of religion and religious behavior is a field of study related to evolutionary psychology, the origin of language and mythology...
Religion in Iran has been shaped by multiple religions and sects over the course of the country's history. Zoroastrianism was the main followed religion...
Prehistoric Egypt and Predynastic Egypt is the period of time starting at the first human settlement and ending at the First Dynasty of Egypt around 3100...
and began the period of Roman Britain. Prehistoric Europe Prehistoric Scotland Prehistoric Wales Prehistoric Cornwall Boxgrove Gough's Cave Genetic history...
Evolutionary origin of religion History of religion Holocene calendar Chibanian Paleolithic religionPrehistoricreligionReligion and mythology Late Pleistocene...
United States Prehistoricreligion Shamanism Animism Ancestor worship Tribal religion Sikhism Neoplatonism Ancient Near Eastern religion, Egyptian mythology...
have terms for music that include dance, religion, or cult[citation needed]. The context in which prehistoric music took place has also become a subject...
outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to prehistoric technology. Prehistoric technology – technology that predates recorded history. History...
engravings), found on the wall or ceilings of caves. The term usually implies prehistoric origin. These paintings were often created by Homo sapiens, but also...
folkloristics, folk religion, popular religion, traditional religion, or vernacular religion comprises various forms and expressions of religion that are distinct...
This article details the history of religion in Malta. The Republic of Malta is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the...
Controversial scholars of prehistoricreligion and anthropology, James Harrod and Vincent W. Fallio, have recently proposed that religion and spirituality (and...
The religion and belief system of the Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) people have received considerable attention, with many writers concerned with identifying...
with origins perhaps as far back as prehistoric times. Therefore, Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world. Jainism, taught primarily...
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