Primitive Culture.

Primitive Culture is the most ancient type of civilization that defines human life throughout history.Despite the fact that modern scholars have many different artifacts that allow to know the approximate date of their appearance, it is still unable to determine the time frame of the existence of the cave man.It is known only that the period under review is the longest, because some families still live in the appropriate order.They are common in Africa and South America.

Medicine

Among all the practical knowledge of medicine, oddly enough, the first sphere on which the cave man drew his attention.This is shown by the rock carvings, which depicts various animals with the structure of the body, the skeleton, the location of internal organs, and so on.In the process of domestication of cattle this knowledge is for the treatment or, for example, when cooking.

regard to the use of medicine to the restoration of the people, the culture of primitive man is not allowed to do this until the Mesolithic.Ancient burial prove that even at that time had the opportunity to apply gypsum or amputate the limb.Of course, the person remained alive.But the ancient people could not attribute to such actions to mere mortals, medicine them seemed to be something divine.Therefore, all physicians as members of the saints, they became shamans and oracles to give all kinds of benefits and respect.

Mathematics

When the epoch of Paleolithic cavemen began to take mathematical knowledge.They are usually used in the production or distribution of the division of responsibilities.Evidence of this is, for example, found in what is now the Czech javelin, where there are 20 notches, distributed equally into 4 parts.This means that people are already able to carry out the most simple arithmetic.

The Neolithic culture enriched primitive world and other knowledge - geometric.First man on the rocks, or draws a different product complies with the figures.Then he started to build homes of regular geometric shapes.This is definitely a positive effect on the comfort of everyday life.

Mythology

myth in primitive cultures has become a way of understanding the world, and if he does not appear, it is unlikely that a person could grow up to modern cultural heights.Any action, natural or weather, is not perceived by people in the order of things, all happening was of a magical connotation.It was impossible to explain, for example, rain from a scientific point of view, if he went, then so wanted some higher being.

Primitive man myths were something special.Only with their help he could go to the next stage of development.In ancient mythology it had several features:

  • first myths helped people come to terms with a number of external events, and they were created by logical and abstract associations.
  • Mythology could prove the occurrence of the event.
  • myths do not just happen.They were compiled on the basis of emotional, weather, natural, and any other laws.
  • mythology passed down from generation to generation, it was a kind of theory of the ancestors, which helped to survive, create comfort or obtain food.Therefore, it can not be called an individual creature, every myth appeared as a result of collective experience in one of the primitive community.
  • Myths contributed to self-expression, not without them there were various forms of art.

Gradually caveman walked away from the myths, and then came the first religious beliefs.At first they were similar to each other, then more and more individualized.

Varieties of primitive religions

All the features of primitive culture does not consist only in the beliefs.Over time, the tribes gain the necessary amount of knowledge and experience, so they can go to the next step is the formation of religions, the first of which were already in the Paleolithic.Some of the events that occurred with the people, they have learned to explain, but others were still wearing them for a magical character.Then there is the belief that some supernatural power can influence the outcome of hunting or other important activities.

Primitive Culture includes several religions represented in the table below.

primitive beliefs
name Determination Description
Totemism belief that the genus is derived from an animal (the totem) Totemic animal becomes protector of sortshe prayed and asked him, for example, to bring good luck in hunting.In no event it is impossible to kill the sacred beast.
Fetishism belief that inanimate objects possess supernatural powers as fetish could be any thing in this is the role of modern charms and amulets.People believed that the amulet can bring good luck, protect from attacks of wild animals.An important feature is that the amulet has always carried with him, he was placed in the tomb along with the owner.
Magic belief that you can affect the environment or event with the help of conspiracy, divination or rituals As considered primitive people, various conspiracies or rituals can, for example, make it rain, crush the enemies and helphunting and so on.

After them comes the belief called animism.According to him the man had his own soul.After his death, she flew away in search of a new "vessel."It was believed that she often could not find a shell, and then it began to annoy the relatives of the dead as a ghost.

Animism, we can say, is the ancestor of all modern religions, because there already appears the afterlife, any deity who rules over all souls as a shell and without it, as well as the first funeral rites.It is with this belief went a tradition not to leave dead relatives, and to accompany them with full honors.

rudiments of literary art

If we consider such a large-scale era, as a primitive culture, briefly, it will be difficult to develop a theme of the literature of the time.The appearance of the first works to fix failed because there was no written language.And there are various tales or legends are not scientifically proven.

However, if you look at the petroglyphs, the impression that people clearly understand what he wants to convey to their descendants.Accordingly, the pre-formed in his mind a kind of legend.It is believed that the beginnings of literary art have appeared in prehistoric times.Only through oral tales managed to pass this or that myth to the next generation.

Art

Primitive art culture evolved rather quickly.Moreover, its significance was higher than in the present.This is due to the fact that people could not then write and express all what he thinks in words.Therefore, the only option was to communicate only the fine arts.With its help, by the way, there were a variety of exercises, including mathematics and medicine.

It is likely that primitive culture did not take pictures as art.With their help people, for example, could receive the blessings of his totem animal, depicting it in their homes.They never mentioned the role of decorative patterns, and makes them only to impart knowledge, to point out their faith and so on.

in primitive cultures often painted animals.People depicted on the different surfaces of animals or their parts.The fact is that the whole life of that time revolved around the hunt.And if the miners stopped bringing the community game, it is unlikely that a person could survive.

There is another feature of rock art.Primitive artists never seen proportions.They could draw a huge mountain goat, which is located near the tiny mammoth.Understanding the proportions appeared much later and in a primitive society.Also, animals are not portrayed standing, they are always in motion (running or galloping).

appearance of artisans

All the achievements of primitive culture can be considered minimal compared to those that have managed to make the artisans.People of that time acted collectively, if they are something and trained, they could not go out on a high professional level.But with the beginning of agriculture has changed, there were artisans, who spend their lives doing one particular thing, honing skills.For example, some were made spears mined second game, the third of cultivated plants, the fourth may be treated and so on.

Gradually, people began to think about the exchange.Communities began to take shape not like before, when blood ties were the main criterion of residence.Farmers stayed where fertile soil, arms manufacturers - near primitive quarries or mines, potters - where strong clay.Hunters also never stayed in place, they moved depending on the migration of animals.

to each of these communities get what it lacks, people began to change different things.One gave the other dishes or totem charms in return for vegetables, others changed their guns on the meat.Over time, this is what caused the formation of cities, and later - full of countries or states.

periodization

whole primitive system is divided into several periods.This happens on the basis of the materials used in the manufacture of guns at one time or another.The first and longest is the stone age.He, in turn, is divided into several stages: Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic.At this time the formation of man, emerging art, mythology, produced and improved tools.

After the development of metal occurred, especially primitive culture has undergone a significant transformation.With the discovery of copper begins eneolith or mednokamenny century.Now people learn crafts and exchange, because for metal processing requires knowledge, which were only those who had enough time to develop their skills.

after copper bronze reveal that almost immediately displace copper, as it is much harder.There comes a Bronze Age.There are the first society where there is a division into classes, but you can not argue that it did not happen earlier.Also around this time form the first cities and states.

With the discovery of iron and its properties comes the Iron Age.Not all the tribes of that time could produce and process the said metal, so some of the territory go far ahead in its development.Further, it was impossible to call the primitive era, a new, but not all States were able to join it.

It should be noted that during each of the periods allowed to use other materials in production.Their names were obtained only in accordance with the predominance of the raw materials used.

Common Taylor thought about primitive culture

great contribution to the current knowledge, introduced the English anthropologist, who is very interested in primitive culture.EB Taylor published a book in which he described in detail all of your thoughts, of course, confirming their facts.For example, it is one of the first to point out that the society of that time developed very slowly for one simple reason.It is the absence of a written language.People have not had the opportunity to collect and transmit information as it might make the modern man.And everyone learned something new on their own experience, which, incidentally, are often repeated in a different society or community.

There are several hypotheses about why so slowly evolved primitive culture.Taylor suggested that this occurred not only because of the lack of writing.Cavemen learned to live, their experiences often become fatal.However, after such sad errors whole community begins to realize that something can not be done.Consequently, the effect on the model inhibits development, people are simply afraid to try to do otherwise.

Many historians do not share the theory that in primitive society there is a division in the social order.Taylor, however, thought otherwise.Those who improved their knowledge of ritual, occupies a special position in the community, respected and often gifts to an additional portion of the food or the more comfortable and safe housing.

famous work

If we consider such an epoch as primitive culture, briefly, it can be taken as a basis in fact, any area of ​​the planet.This is due to the fact that initially all of society that has ever appeared in the world, is fairly similar.Taylor in his "Primitive Culture" described the many events of the time, and every word he confirms the fact, whether it is the first archaeological finds or mythological writings.

According to Tylor, primitive culture in modern times too much underestimated.Moreover, many people today believe that the era was wild.This is true, but only partly.If at the moment a person is considering roughly hewn ax, who helped in the hunt for the mammoth, as the product of a bumbling wizard, it is unlikely to think about what would happen, did not take an ancient hunter it up.

Culture primitive era is interesting to explore.Despite the fact that many scientists drew her attention to her, is an infinite number of undiscovered and unproven things.There are only assumptions and hypotheses.In fact, no one can say for sure that this or that rock painting clearly refers to a specific event or action.Prehistory as mysterious, as well as many other things that can not be explained today, even with modern technology and ingenious minds.