Human Language Evolution, Culture, and Symbolism
1. Evidence of Language Use in Early Humans
One hypothesis suggests that evidence from the Atapuerca site, specifically the ‘Sima de los Huesos’, indicates early language use. Discoveries of dozens of Homo heidelbergensis remains in a pit and a two-faced stone tool could be interpreted as burial rituals. If so, rituals, as symbols with scheduled actions, might be the first evidence of human language use, demonstrating the use of symbols.
Furthermore, Homo neanderthalensis exhibited three types of symbolic uses: burial of the dead, possible skull worship, and magical practices.
2. The Sapir-Whorf Thesis and Human Culture
The Sapir-Whorf thesis posits that language acts as a template through which humans perceive reality. Each language shapes a particular form of culture, influencing how we see and understand the world.
3. Arsuaga’s Thesis: Neanderthal Extinction and Language
According to Arsuaga, Neanderthals had similar brain communication capabilities to Homo sapiens, but differed in their speech organs. Their higher larynx, larger nostrils, and mouth structure may have made it difficult to pronounce certain vowels (a, i, u), resulting in a nasal voice and less clear speech.
This suggests Neanderthals had simpler spoken systems, limiting their social organization and adaptability to climate change. Their reduced symbolic complexity, contrasted with the ‘symbolic explosion’ of Homo sapiens, may have hindered their ability to ‘make sense’ of changing realities and adapt effectively.
4. Commonality of Myth and Ritual
- Both are symbols: myths are stories, and rituals are scheduled actions.
- Both convey meaning and are interconnected: myths explain rites, and rituals enact myths.
5. Taking Charge of Reality and Responsibility
Humans are aware of reality and endow it with meaning, allowing us to understand and manage it. This awareness brings freedom of choice and control over instincts, making us responsible for our actions. Unlike animals, we can ‘take charge’ of reality, acting to improve or change it.
6. The Biblical Creation Story
The seven-day creation story in the Bible is a creation myth and an anthropogonic myth. The story of Adam and Eve is a myth of the origin of evil, explaining the loss of paradise and the introduction of pain and death.
7. Symbolic Capacity: Neanderthals vs. Homo sapiens
Neanderthals had a less developed symbolic capacity than Homo sapiens. While they may have had burial rituals, their symbolic expression was limited compared to the ‘symbolic explosion’ of Homo sapiens, seen in rock art and diverse symbolic themes in furnishings, indicating a wider range of myths and rituals. The difference was not in ability but in the development of that capacity.
8. Types of Rituals: Birthdays and Baptisms
- Birthdays are rites of renewal, dividing our lives into meaningful, ‘controlled’ parts, ordering our temporal existence.
- Baptism is an initiation rite, joining an individual to a new group (the Church) and granting a new Christian identity. Both are linked to rites of communion, strengthening family or group bonds.
9. Meaning of Prehistoric Art
The most convincing theses on prehistoric art suggest it represents clan symbols and myths related to the unknown, possibly including spirits or gods in animal forms, which, like clan totems, could not be hunted.