Did our Aurignacian ancestors have a religion? (2019/2019) by Fanny Le BagousseGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Would it be that...
A. Religion has always been the same or B. Our ancestors might have had religion and spiritual beliefs, but not as we know it today
The correct answer is...
B. Our ancestors might have had religion and spiritual beliefs, but not as we know it today
They would not have had a religion in the sense that we understand it today. However, our ancestors did have spiritual beliefs, which they expressed in sacred places like caves by decorating the walls, for example.
Besides that, though we have not found graves that could be attributed to the Aurignacian culture in Ardèche, we know that modern man buried their dead in graves, as did the Neanderthals.
Feline Fresco (Chauvet Cave, Ardèche) (2008/2008) by L. Guichard/Perazio/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
In the Chauvet Cave, only 14 species of animals are depicted. This shows that our ancestors chose certain species which they considered as important to sustain spiritual life.
We can see that the mammoth, the woolly rhinoceros, and the lion had major spiritual roles.
Did prehistoric man cry? (2019/2019) by Fanny Le BagousseGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Let's see if you can answer another prehistory question!
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.