Gravettian burial of Caviglione Woman, (shaman?) dated to around 24,000 years ago

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art 

Ref, Ref, Ref, Ref 

“Woman of Caviglione cave/Cavillon cave, Liguria, (Italy) involved evidence of a ceremonial burial of an adult female wearing a cap of more than 200 shells with a border of deer’s teeth, red ochre around the face, and a bone awl at the side. The lady Cavillon was first believed to be a man so was dubbed “The Man of Menton”. In this cave, the tomb of the Lady of Cavillon, who died aged thirty-seven 24,000 years ago, was discovered.  Interestingly, this woman was adorned with a funerary headpiece, which suggests that the people of this time might have believed in life after death.” Ref, Ref, Ref, Ref 

“The single burial, discovered in the cave of Caviglione held a woman and a possible shaman wearing a seeming headgear of shells and deer teeth. The body was covered with red ocher, buried on her left side, facing west, with the hands close to his face and legs folded.” ref

“She had been encased in an external coating of red hematite –armor that prevents the soft tissues from rotting away. The colored corpse is telling us, “I remain among you”. She had to have been buried in this place as a memorial. Burial at a predetermined depth formed a bed in the sandy clay soil that prevented predators from attacking her. She had to continue to be the fountainhead of their energies, the key to providing evidence of an organized colony. The ceremony was performed after the body ornaments had been placed in position; the death of the Lady was a great challenge to face.  Examining the funerary practices and the rich cultural assemblages that provided the ornaments of the Lady who was discovered in the Cavillon cave.” ref 

“Burial practices during the time of anatomically-modern humans (AMH) at Balzi Rossi have provided a number of well-preserved human remains. This burial record, coinciding in archaeological, environmental, and chronological contexts, allows the study of past hunters of animals that roamed the area, at that time unflooded, in front of the cliffs. The preponderance and relative abundances of ornamental and nutritive marine shells collected in the caves vary over time. The Gravettian layer, precisely defined by the AMH, dates probably from when the sea level was declining, and the vertebrate fauna present in the shallow cavity of the Riparo Mochi shelter, located between the Cavillon and Florestano caves in the Balzi Rossi. Researchers think that it was a site for shellfish collection, but the industrial assemblage consists of typical hunting and day-to-day items. The landscape beneath was, according to the archaeologists, a rich habitat. All foragers have broad-spectrum diet. However, the caves of the site with evidence of 15 well-preserved buried skeletons and their artwork, which encompassed both geometric and schematic style and a figurative image of a horse, are unique. In addition, small stylized figurines representing human females were found there.” ref 

“Evidence from the Cavillon cave, where the red Lady was buried, tells that the burial took place during the Gravettian time, and demonstrates the technical skills of the phase. The CroMagnons, like the Neanderthals, were seasonally-nomadic; however, the diversity of the resources exploited within the territory along the Grimaldi sea coast suggests a longer-term site within which a complex symbolic culture developed. The ornaments of the Lady, like the beaded cap and bracelet, are made from shells and other materials such as red-deer canines (‘pearl teeth’ of Cervus elaphus). However, the presence of a shell-bead accumulation, closely tied to the deposition of stone artifacts and terrestrial resources, allows us to deduce that ornament usage was not confined to their graves. Furthermore, the contextual burial of the Red Lady, with variously arranged stones and a red pigment-coated animal bone, sited where a horse is engraved on the wall, indicates that the Cavillon grotto was a sanctuary cave.” ref 

“Gravettian burial of Caviglione 1 is dated to around 24,000 years ago (or 22,400–26,700 years ago). The grave of the specimen named “Dame du Cavillon” (in French), initially “l’Homme de Menton”, was found in the “Grotte du Cavillon”, near the French-Italian border. The Italian term “Caviglione” is used instead of Cavillon. This cave is located in the Baousse Rousse (Balzi Rossi) complex of caves in Italy, known as the caves of Menton, and also called “Grottes de Grimaldi.” ref 

“The Upper Paleolithic Caviglione 1, held a radial fracture and the asymmetrical development of the upper and lower limbs. Nevertheless, the radial fracture is defined as the result of a violent blow, during such an event, the fracture does not involve the radius. Based on the mechanical properties of bone and the concept of bone functional adaptation, diaphyseal cross-sectional geometries offer an in-depth approach to structural changes induced by functional activity. For Neanderthals and Upper Paleolithic populations, two relatively well-known prehistoric populations, trauma can modify the initial bone (functional) asymmetry and render functional interpretations particularly difficult.” ref 

“Although trabecular bone analysis is currently little used for prehistoric periods, possibilities for discussing such questions is illustrated by results from primate and human studies that demonstrate a relationship between trabecular structure and function. This is the consequence of the mechanical properties of trabecular bone, strongly correlated with trabecular bone structure. Trabecular bone is more responsive to changes in mechanical loads and more metabolically active than cortical bone.” ref 

“Investigations on Caviglione 1 and generate significant new results pertaining to the nature and etiology of the upper limb trauma and the after-effects upon bone mechanical properties. The ultimate aim of this study is to discern how trauma affected the manual behavior of this Upper Paleolithic female during her lifetime and the impact on her living conditions and activities.” ref 

“Firstly, the internal structure of the radial trauma is described and its location facilitates a reevaluation of the violence hypothesis. Secondly, the asymmetry is measured along the diaphysis of the humerus, radius, and ulna (and some comments about the clavicle, metacarpal, and hand phalanx), including cross-sectional geometry properties (CSG) and bone trabecular fraction (TF).” ref 

“These latter allow us to specify the level and pattern of asymmetry and their relationship to traumatic events (i.e., identify the most affected region and its severity). Unexpected asymmetry and abnormalities in bone size and structure in relation to non-pathological bones anchors our conclusion. As far as possible, asymmetry was compared with an Upper Paleolithic reference sample and an etiologic hypothesis is proposed. Thirdly, the robusticity index of the upper limb of Caviglione 1 is combined with previous data to discuss the impact of trauma on the reduction of function (e.g., a high index of robustness would indicate a good recovery of manipulative functions).” ref 

“Finally, abnormalities in Caviglione 1 are placed in the Upper Paleolithic context for a more comprehensive understanding of the adaptability of past populations to their environment. Two lesions can be observed directly, one obvious major lesion in the left radius and probably a second minor one in the right humerus. We also discuss indirect evidence of trauma that is not directly visible, as only its consequences on bone structure can be studied.” ref 

“Asymmetry in head trabecular bone density and diaphyseal bone cortical porosity in the Caviglione humerus. The head cross-sections and the diaphyseal cross-sections are located respectively at 98% and 65% of the biomechanical length. Humeral asymmetry of the total area is low in Caviglione at 35% and 65%, even in relation to females. On the other hand, in reference to the comparative sample, Caviglione shows very high asymmetry in the cortical area and relative cortical area, noticeably higher than females.” ref 

“For Caviglione, no other bone trauma can be interpreted in terms of interpersonal violence (e.g., cranial injury). The parry fracture reflects a particularly problematic interpretation of trauma, which requires (for a rigorous interpretation) extensive information relative to the general context, notably the social context. The Caviglione fracture is more consistent with a Galeazzi fracture, which occurs in the weakest mechanical region (i.e., near the limit of the middle and the distal thirds of the shaft, according to cross-sectional properties. More relevant is the fact that a fracture from a direct blow does not generate a spiral fracture, as observed in the radius of Caviglione. The kind of fracture found in Caviglione is more likely due to a twisting of the forearm combined with strong compressions, such as in a fall onto the palm of the hand.” ref   

“The helicoidal fracture of the left radius is a good case for successful healing, as observed here, considering the large consolidation surface. Thus, fracture reduction followed by immobilization seems the correct interpretation, as proposed in modern medicine for young individuals. However, in the present case, the third distal radius part was not reduced (i.e., there was no realignment of fragments). Due to the lack of anatomical reduction, there is still an angulation between bone fragments, resulting in a rotatory disorder. Currently, the traditional treatment of Galeazzi fractures is good in young individuals, while it is 92% unsatisfactory in adults and requires surgical treatment.” ref 

“Non-surgical treatment would be the cause of persistent dislocation or recurrent dislocation of the distal ulna. Here, the homogeneity and thickness of the cortical bone along the diaphysis, the quality of the bone callus, and the high bone fraction of the epiphyseal trabecular bone resulted in the good consolidation of this bone and a “normal” level of activity of the forearm after consolidation. No evidence of secondary effects of the radial fracture is noted in other bones (i.e., humerus and ulna), except for the distal asymmetry of the ulna. This ulna asymmetry can be due to recurrent dislocations during a lifetime or a dislocation resulting from a fall. Finally, while pronation-supination movements were probably painful for one or two months (time required for consolidation), this traumatic event would probably not have had any significant consequences on the level of habitual manipulative behavior during the more recent life of this individual.” ref 

“Research suggests that Caviglione was a right-dominant female and results suggest that Caviglione became left-handed. This female was probably fully engaged in a high level of manipulative behavior and right-dominant before the traumatic event in view of the pattern of asymmetry of the total area and the cortical area (relative to the Upper Paleolithic sample). Finally, the robusticity of the Caviglione female is moderate to high compared to other, mainly male Upper Paleolithic remains, for the left humerus and the left ulna. This could point to a high level of manipulative behavior after the two traumas, even if it is difficult to distinguish to what extent robusticity is due to a compensatory effect related to the immobilization of the right arm and normal levels of left arm activity.” ref 

“Health generally during the Upper Paleolithic, especially during the early period (40,000–20,000 years ago), associated with a high degree of mobility. Only rare Upper Paleolithic remains were affected by limb pathologies, whether they resulted directly or indirectly from trauma. Only two early Upper Paleolithic individuals (>20 kya) exhibit fractures of the upper limb and another indicates bone modification as a secondary consequence of trauma. Dolní Věstonice 15 and Caviglione 1 respectively present a healed ulna fracture and a healed radial fracture, described in depth in this study. Barma Grande 2 shows high humeral asymmetry without direct evidence of lesion.” ref 

“However, it has been argued that a pathological origin is based on the degree of asymmetry in pathological fossils (Dolní Věstonice 15, Oberkassel 1, Neanderthal 1, La Quina 5) and non-pathological recent human samples. The impact of injuries on the health and activities of human foragers is one way of understanding the adaptability of past populations to their environment. Previously, the congenitally abnormal Dolní Věstonice 15, with its severe upper limb osteoarthritis and its lower limb hypertrophy (very similar to early and middle Upper Paleolithic), showed the capacity to survive and a high level of manual activity and mobility despite significant pathology.” ref 

“The late Epigravettian Arene Candide 2 also reflects this propensity to live with a debilitating trauma (i.e., bilateral absence of the lesser trochanter could be the result of severe muscular stress. The Gravettian Caviglione 1 presents two bones, from the left and right arm, clearly affected by trauma. It also, therefore, demonstrates the adaptability of an Upper Paleolithic individual. Indeed, the left radial fracture is well consolidated, and this left arm became the dominant arm because of a trauma seriously affecting the right arm. In addition, the robustness and the cortical thickness of the left long bones reveals the full use of the left arm despite some problems with fine motor control. This group did not practice fracture reduction, but we cannot know whether or not this was due to a lack of medical knowledge or individual circumstances of this specific case.” ref 

“Balzi Rossi is a popular prehistoric site due to the significant findings. It’s a few metres from shore at the bottom of a red limestone wall with caves and grottos. From these caves have been recovered manufacturers made of bones and stone, fireplaces, burials and animal remains dating from Lower Paleolithic to latest Prehistory.” ref   

“The Balzi Rossi complex, also known as Grimaldi Caves, includes more than ten sites that yielded abundant archaeological remains spanning a wide chronological range from the Middle Pleistocene to the Early Holocene. Riparo Mochi is located between Grotta di Florestano and Grotta del Caviglione.” ref 

“The several burials, are of the Cro-Magnon type or European early modern humans, Epigravettian (like the children highlighted by Rivière and the female skeleton discovered in the upper layers of the children’s cave), and Gravettian as well as Aurignacian.” ref 

“European early modern humans (EEMH) in the context of the Upper Paleolithic in Europe refers to the early presence of anatomically modern humans in Europe. The term “early modern” is usually taken to include fossils of the Bohunician, Ahmarian, Aurignacian, Gravettian, Solutrean and Magdalenian, extending throughout the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), covering the period of roughly 48,000 to 15,000 years ago, usually referred to as the Cro-Magnon. The earliest sites in Europe dated 48,000 years ago are Riparo Mochi (Italy), Geissenklösterle (Germany), and Isturitz (France).” ref

“The archaeological sites of the Balzi Rossi complex: 1 Grotta Costantini; 2 Grotta dei Fanciulli; 3 Riparo Lorenzi; 4 Grotta di Florestano; 5 Riparo Mochi; 6 Riparo Blanc – Cardini; 7 Grotta del Caviglione; 8 Riparo Bombrini; 9 Barma Grande; 10 Barma da Baousso da Torre; 11 Grotta del Principe; 12 Sito dell’ex Casinò; 13 Sito dell’ ex Birreria.” ref

“Coming from the edge you run into the Caves of Conte Costantini and the Cave of the children which are so-called due to the grave of two children dating from Upper Paleolithic (between 35.000 and 10.000 years ago) which was found inside. Then you come across Riparo Lorenzi, the Cave of Caviglione, Bombrini’ s Cove, and Barma Grande where in 19th century they found a grave containing the remains of three bodies, one adult and two children, also dating from Upper Paleolithic.” ref

“Grave and corpses were covered by red ochre powder and their heads crowned with shells, fish bones, and teeth of stag. Three large knives of flint were found within the burial equipment, which were usually produced at more than 100 Km from the site in the area of Vaucluse which means that early hunters-collectors used to move around a lot. At last, a fragment of the pelvis of a woman of Homo erectus who lived 230.000 years ago was found into the cyclopic Grotta del Principe. There still are many drawings dating from Upper Paleolithic carved on some sections of the walls inside the caves, such as the silhouette of a horse in Grotta del Caviglione.” ref

Rock engraving representing an equine – Grotta del Caviglione. ref

Equine is from a family including modern horses, zebras, asses, as well as 60 species known only from fossils. ref 

Could it be a possible sacrifice or death ritual?

“The wall drawing is thus in full daylight and framing of the figure against the backdrop of the whole field gives the site its individual character. The practical intelligence of these prehistoric people is demonstrated mainly by the tools, the choice of area in which to live, and by site management. For Cro-magnon at Cavillone it is demonstrated also by the choice of engraving tools. The extreme delicacy of the horse design and the safe working technique in the handling of chisels to trace its outline, provide evidence of a developed artistic sense. The outline of the horse creates a concrete symbol — a primitive lower form of abstraction, which was necessary; for otherwise most people would not have understood the message.” ref 

“The key focus of Cro-magnon is fully integrated into the animal world, and the additional abstract signs formed by striations should not be confused with geometrical decorations. They emphasize the individualized nature of that horse, which is ‘a genuine semantic system’ designed to establish a communication. The language present within the Cavillon cave may be considered as of magical nature, thereby offering an added level of interpretation to the meaning of the image. The hieroglyphic writing on Egyptian temple walls were readable, but people were sometimes not aware of an additional, magical, obscure meaning intended for the priests. Furthermore, the dead Lady and her resting place needed protection.” ref 

“The very concept of drawing is one of the remarkable traits that are characteristic of CroMagnon. They invented a language of signs and figures. The ‘vocabulary’ of Palaeolithic art conveys ideas to communicate allegorical forms. The striations associated with animals are a concrete image necessary to be understood. This consistent pattern of revealing information of a shared cognitive representation shaped during the Palaeolithic period was lost with the evolution of mind –cognitive organization in individuals being the primary locus of culture. Certainly the special mortuary rites according to the Red Lady in the Cavillon cave certainly played an important role in their society. Based on the rock engravings in the Cavillon cave, this paper identified Cro-Magnon as being the creator of illustrated stories. The audible language of Cro-Magnon is formed by these testimonials. The components manifest themselves, they are mystics. Obviously, the language and reality are related, but through their metaphorical character.” ref  

“The dates for the earliest Aurignacian layers are 37,400 and 27,230 years ago for the recent ones. This latter date may represent the beginning of the Gravettian occupation. The osteological analyses on the large fauna from the Mousterian levels of Riparo Mochi (Layer I), carried out on the remains, determined that ungulates represented the most frequent species (mainly red deer, wild boar, horse, and ibex) dominating the assemblage with 93% of the identified specimens, in contrast to carnivores (including bear, lion, panther, wolf, and hyena). Alces have been recognized only in the lower part of the deposit, while Dama dama was recovered in the upper portion. Therefore Layer I is in general characterized by a cold climate with a shift to milder conditions toward the top of the deposit. In general, large carnivores are almost absent in all layers and carnivore gnawed bones are rare as well, suggesting that faunal remains had been accumulated almost exclusively by humans.” ref 

“The analysis involved a total of more than 55,000 macromammal remains from the “old excavations” (1938, 1941e42, and 1959) carried out by A.C. Blanc and L. Cardini in the Gravettian layer “D” of Riparo Mochi. To date, there are no radiometric dates for this layer, which is about 2 m thick. Therefore, on the basis of the sedimentology of the deposit and of the descriptions reported in the excavation journals, the layer has been divided into 5 “phases” in order to identify possible variations in the osteological sample. A total of 18 genera belonging to 5 mammal orders (insectivores, rodents, lagomorphs, carnivores, and artiodactyls) have been identified. Almost all the identified species are characterized by few remains (E. europaeus, Carnivora, S. scrofa, A. alces, B. primigenius,) and only C. elaphus, C. ibex, C. capreolus, and O. cuniculus exceed a hundred specimens. In general, the faunal spectrum indicated mainly a forest environment, with conifers and deciduous trees, characterized by a temperate, tending to cool, climate.” ref 

“Such type of ecosystem alternated with moments when the upper limit of the forest left space to the Alpine prairie, with colder temperatures and dry climate (mainly in the central phase of layer D), or times when the forest cover was thicker, with climatic conditions that were always temperate-cool, but more humid (phases I and II). However, in all periods, there is a contemporaneous presence of temperate and forest fauna (red deer, wild boar, roe deer, well adaptable also to more harsh temperatures) that probably lived in the immediate surroundings of the site, together with “cold” and open habitat species (ibex, chamois, marmot) that were present in mountain areas above the tree line. These habitats were well connected to the shelter, considering the orography of the area characterized by long and narrow valleys rapidly ascending to very high elevations.” ref 

“The shelter, very close to the sea, in an area protected by high cliffs, had favorable climatic conditions even during the rigors of the winter. It is possible to note some differences in faunal composition between the osteological sample from level D. The materials recovered during the excavations show a reduced number of identified species, especially among the carnivores with the complete absence of felines, mustelids, and bear, while for the ungulates wild boar and elk were not identified. Furthermore, also the ratios between the identified species are different: red deer represents half of the sample and is quantitatively followed by roe deer and then by ibex, so that the author suggests relatively mild climatic conditions during this occupation period.” ref 

“However, the discordant results obtained from the analyses of these two assemblages are probably mainly related to differences in sample size. The taphonomic analysis does not show great differences among the various phases: the whole sample presents the same kind of fragmentation and “bad” preservation of the bone surfaces. The modifications recorded on the bones allow the hypothesis that humans were the main agent of bone accumulation and that they occupied the site seasonally, lighting fires always in the same area in front of the shelter, where also butchery of hunted animals occurred, using then the bone waste and/or food debris as fuel. The specimens, besides suffering heavy modifications due to the action of fire, underwent pedogenetic transformations, especially chemical and physical ones, as well as sudden changes in humidity and temperature both before and after burial.” ref 

“In general, no relevant differences in subsistence strategies have been noted among the various phases, and during the whole Gravettian occupation hunting focused mainly on red deer and ibex. Definitive evidence of exploitation has been detected also on roe deer, chamois, aurochs, and, among the carnivores, on fox, wildcat, and lynx. These latter were captured mainly for their fur, as supported by the prevalence of skinning traces recovered on distal limb elements and on cranial bones, although it is not possible to rule out that also their meat was exploited. From the analysis of the skeletal elements of red deer and ibex two hypotheses on carcass processing are plausible, even in the same phase and on the same animal, on the basis of variables that are difficult to verify (distance from the kill site, number of people in the hunting party, weight of the prey, and quantity of hunted animals).” ref 

“The first hypothesizes that the complete carcasses of these artiodactyls were introduced in the site where all the butchering phases occurred (form skinning to marrow exploitation). The second suggests that a first selection of the carcasses occurred at the kill site and then only the portions with higher nutritional return were transported to the shelter. From the few bone elements recovered, it is difficult to outline models of carcass treatment for the other artiodactyls. It is possible that roe deer and chamois, on which traces produced by lithic tools have also been detected, have been treated similarly to red deer and ibex.” ref   

“Using the data on the age at death of the juvenile animals for each species and phase, it is possible to hypothesize that humans occupied the shelter on a seasonal basis, mainly in spring. It is also probable that the settlement choices changed in relation to the climatic conditions. As shown in Table 5, during the earliest Gravettian phases (Base-layer D and phase IV) it seems that the site was occupied more during the winter-spring season. The rockshelter, thanks to its geographic location, was an optimal place to overcome the probable winter climatic harshness. Occasional presence during this period also occurred in summer and late autumn. In the remaining phases of this layer and mainly in the final moments of the Gravettian with Noailles burins, site occupation seems to be concentrated during the spring-summer period and only occasionally in the late winter.” ref 

“A comparison with the nearby cave of the Arene Candide, based mainly on the faunal composition, indicates that the two sites reflect different occupation profiles, although the faunal associations outline a relatively similar ecological situation. The earliest Gravettian levels of the Arene Candide (P13-P9) have dates referred to the period between the Kesselt and Tursac interstadial (P13 ¼ 25,620 years ago and P12 ¼ 23,450 years ago) which may be correlated to the medio-basal phases of the Gravettian layer D at Riparo Mochi. At the Arene Candide, in the lower levels, there is a marked prevalence of carnivores (hyena, leopard, cave bear) that used the cave as a shelter and den, while the site was only occasionally used by humans, mainly in the summer-autumn period, hunting animals of all age classes. Only in the P8eP1 levels, with more recent Gravettian dates (20,470 to 18,560 years ago), there seems to be an intensification in human frequentation of the cave, with the same seasonal occupation. More comprehensive and exhaustive comparisons with the Arene Candide and with other Italian sites with Gravettian levels will be possible when the new numerical dates, at the moment still in progress, will be available for layer D of Riparo Mochi.” ref  

“The study of the faunal sample related to the Gravettian occupation at Riparo Mochi demonstrated small environmental changes during the period of the deposition of the sediments, with a colder phase in the central part of the deposit followed by a more humid one in the terminal part. The faunal remains are mainly the result of human activity, as indicated by the presence of butchering traces, the abundant burned bones used as fuel, and the type of fragmentation, associated to the almost complete absence of carnivore traces. Hunting focused mainly on red deer and ibex, but roe deer, chamois, aurochs, and some carnivores, such as fox, wildcat, and lynx also were exploited. Different capture strategies were adopted: a more opportunistic hunting without prevalence of a particular age class or sex was used for red deer, while a more selective one focusing on adult individuals was employed for ibex. The rock-shelter was occupied mainly between winter and spring in the oldest phases and between spring and summer in the most recent ones, with probable abandonment during autumn.” ref  

The Balzi Rossi caves (Ligurian: baussi rossi “red rocks”) in Ventimiglia commune, Liguria, Italy, is one of the most important archaeological sites of the early Upper Paleolithic in Western Europe.

• Riparo Mochi remains, evidence for the earliest presence of modern humans in Europe (early Aurignacian, 42,000 years ago).
• Grimaldi Man (Gravettian, c. 25,000 years)
• Venus figurines of Balzi Rossi (Gravettian, c. 22,000 years). ref 

“A large number of statuettes portraying a woman connected to the cult of Mother Goddess were found as well, the so-called “Venus figurines.” ref  

My Thought on the Evolution of Gods?

Animal protector deities from old totems/spirit animal beliefs come first to me, 13,000/12,000 years ago, then women as deities 11,000/10,000 years ago, then male gods around 7,000/8,000 years ago. Moralistic gods around 5,000/4,000 years ago, and monotheistic gods around 4,000/3,000 years ago. 

Grimaldi figurines. The fourteen Grimaldi statuettes described by White et Bisson (1998): 

  1. The Couple, or the Double Venus
  2. Woman with the perforated neck
  3. The Two-Headed Woman
  4. The yellow steatite statuette, or the Venus of Menton
  5. Pulcinella or the Venus of Polichinelle
  6. Brown Ivory Figurine
  7. The Venus el Rombo, or Venus de Losange, (the diamond, or rhomboid, or lozenge shaped venus)
  8. The Bust
  9. The ivory figurine in red ochre
10. The flattened figure
11 The Negroid head
12. The Hermaphrodite
13. The Woman with goitre
14. Undescribed figure ref 

20,000 years ago – “In the Grotta dei Fanciulli at the Balzi Rossi complex, instead, the bodies of two children aged between 2 and 3 years were found. The skeletons are arranged next to each other and at the level of the hip and femur many pierced marine shells ( Nassa neritea ) have been found that probably were part of a funerary ornament.” ref 

“The triple burial, consisting of three skeletons found in the large Barma, holding an adult male, a young man and a teenager are arranged in parallel in the same trench from east to west, and buried with a rich grave outfit including seashells, flint blades and deer canines; the dating of the burial dates to about 20,000 years ago.” ref 

“Also characteristic is the Triple Burial, in which three individuals were buried in the same pit, one next to the other, sprinkled with red ocher and with a rich funerary outfit. It seems that of the three two are younger, while the third is considerably older. The same anatomical peculiarities found on the right side of the frontal bone of all three skulls suggest a genetic relationship between individuals. The oldest individual was about six feet high and possessed a skeletal structure of considerable strength. The funeral outfit was instead made up of large stone blades, necklaces, spines of fish, canines of deer, pendants in ivory decorated with hollow lines and perforated shells (still Nassa neritea ).” ref 

“Detail of the funeral kit of the Triple Burial, and among the various discoveries, the most interesting and recent is that of the discovery of the so-called Negroids of Grimaldi, or a couple of individuals (a teenager and an adult woman) having somatic traits different from those of other individuals. The adolescent had his head adorned with marine shells ( Nassa neritea ), and the woman had the same shells near her wrist and left elbow, perhaps originally bracelets. The burials took place at two different times.” ref 

“All the burials can be dated back to the period called Gravettian or Epigravettian, a temporal gap from 29,000 to 19,000 years ago.” ref

“Detail of the funeral kit of the Triple Burial, and among the various discoveries, the most interesting and recent is that of the discovery of the so-called Negroids of Grimaldi , or a couple of individuals (a teenager and an adult woman) having somatic traits different from those of other individuals. The adolescent had his head adorned with marine shells ( Nassa neritea ), and the woman had the same shells near her wrist and left elbow, perhaps originally bracelets. The burials took place at two different times.” ref 

“Many burials have been updated at Balzi Rossi or Grimaldi Caves (Liguria, Italy). 1. A woman (left) and a teenager (right) buried successively Dated 26,000 BP – Grotto of Children (Grimaldi). 2. Woman strewn with imperforated shells Dated 12 200 BP Grotto of Children (Grimaldi). 3. Grand Cro-Magnon, arms folded over the bust and hands on the upper chest Dated – 26,000 years Grotto of Children (Grimaldi).” ref 

Shamanism (such as that seen in Siberia Gravettian culture: 30,000 years ago). Gravettian culture (34,000–24,000 years ago; Western Gravettian, mainly France, Spain, and Britain, as well as Eastern Gravettian in Central Europe and Russia. The eastern Gravettians, which include the Pavlovian culture). And, the Pavlovian culture (31,000 – 25,000 years ago such as in Austria and Poland). 31,000 – 20,000 years ago Oldest Shaman was Female, Buried with the Oldest Portrait Carving.

Shamanism is approximately a 30,000-year-old belief system and believe in spirit-filled life and/or afterlife that can be attached to or be expressed in things or objects and these objects can be used by special persons or in special rituals that can connect to spirit-filled life and/or afterlife. If you believe like this, regardless of your faith, you are a hidden shamanist.

Around 29,000 to 25,000 years ago in Dolní Vestonice, Czech Republic, the oldest human face representation is a carved ivory female head that was found nearby a female burial and belong to the Pavlovian culture, a variant of the Gravettian culture. The left side of the figure’s face was a distorted image and is believed to be a portrait of an elder female, who was around 40 years old. She was ritualistically placed beneath a pair of mammoth scapulae, one leaning against the other. Surprisingly, the left side of the skull was disfigured in the same manner as the aforementioned carved ivory figure, indicating that the figure was an intentional depiction of this specific individual. The bones and the earth surrounding the body contained traces of red ocher, a flint spearhead had been placed near the skull, and one hand held the body of a fox. This evidence suggests that this was the burial site of a shaman. This is the oldest site not only of ceramic figurines and artistic portraiture but also of evidence of early female shamans. Before 5,500 years ago, women were much more prominent in religion.

Archaeologists usually describe two regional variants: the western Gravettian, known namely from cave sites in France, Spain, and Britain, and the eastern Gravettian in Central Europe and Russia. The eastern Gravettians include the Pavlovian culture, which were specialized mammoth hunters and whose remains are usually found not in caves but in open air sites. The origins of the Gravettian people are not clear, they seem to appear simultaneously all over Europe. Though they carried distinct genetic signatures, the Gravettians and Aurignacians before them were descended from the same ancient founder population. According to genetic data, 37,000 years ago, all Europeans can be traced back to a single ‘founding population’ that made it through the last ice age. Furthermore, the so-called founding fathers were part of the Aurignacian culture, which was displaced by another group of early humans members of the Gravettian culture. Between 37,000 years ago and 14,000 years ago, different groups of Europeans were descended from a single founder population. To a greater extent than their Aurignacian predecessors, they are known for their Venus figurines. ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, & ref 

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref, ref

“Probably occupied from as much as around 38,900–32,630 years ago. It had previously been dated at a lower date as low as around 23,000-19,000 years ago which changed.” ref

Sungar “Gravettian culture” (Russia) and related Dolni Vestonice Pavlovian/Gravettian culture (Czech Republic).

Sungar (Russia), found posable evidence of shamanistic Gravettian culture burials and that seem to match the latter indigenous American shamanistic burials in Alaska at the Tanana River site with around 11,500 years old duel infant burial very similar shamanistic grave offerings like decorated stone weapons. To further a clear connection is the Bluefish Cave (Yukon Territory Canada) that held bones with cut marks which is possibly as old as 24,000 to 19,650 years ago and the youngest are around 12,000 years old seem to offer strong support for the “Beringian hypothesis” human population dispersed to North and South America. ref

To me, is seems Siberian is the general origin of native Americans at least by around 11,000 years ago, by the land bridge “Beringia” from Asia by way of Siberia in Russia over to Alaska in the Americas, which the Paleoindians had crossover on, finally flooded over by rising sea levels and was submerged. Siberia has a large variety of climate, vegetation, and landscape. Siberia’s Prehistory demonstrates several distinct cultures sometimes transferring ideas, other times not, and some split from earlier cultures creating new ones often in illation, mainly starting with hunter-gatherer nomadism. During glaciation around 115,000 to 15,000 years ago, the Siberia tundra extended south and an ice sheet covered area of Russia around the Ural Mountains that while some of the oldest mountains are more like large hills, and the area to the east of the lower Yenisei River basin, which in the general area of central and southern Siberia. ref

Some of the first nomadic peoples entered Siberia about 50,000 years ago. Ancient nomadic tribes such as the Ket people and the Yugh people a separate but similar group lived along its banks. Shamanism among Kets shares characteristics with those of Turkic and Mongolic peoples thus not at all homogeneous in expression though neither is shamanism in Siberia in general. As for shamanism among Kets had several types of Ket shamans and shared characteristics with those of Turkic and Mongolic peoples. The Yana River sites, in Siberia, demonstrate that modern human populations had reached Western Beringia by 32,000 years ago then engaging in an early dispersal possibly by 24,000 years ago. ref

SHAMANISM IN RUSSIA AND MONGOLIA

“Shamanism is still practiced in Russia, particularly in the Lake Baikal area of southern Siberia near the Mongolian border and in the middle Volga regions. The word Shamanism comes from Siberia. And believed shamanistic powers are passed on from generation to generation or by spontaneous vocation during an initiation ceremony that usually involves some kind of ecstatic death, rebirth, vision or experience. Though a for some shaman cultures a distinction is made between hereditary ones and those who have become shaman after suffering a serious illness. A shamanist is a one person cult-authority, spirit medium, soul-traveler, meteorologist, physician, philosopher, and ideologist.” ref

“Shaman have traditionally been important religious figures and healers among many Siberian peoples and commonly connect to and revolved around hunting and family/ancestor cults. The word “shaman” comes to us from the Tungus language via Russian. In Siberia, shamans have traditionally been called upon to heal the sick, solve problems, protect groups from hostile spirts, make predictions and mediate between the spiritual world and human world and guide dead souls to the afterlife.” ref

“After death it was believed that the breath soul left through the nostrils.
Many groups make wooden images of dolls of the deceased and for a period of time, they are treated like the real person. A wide variety of goods may be placed in the graves of the deceased, depending on the group. These generally include things the deceased needs in the next life. Often totems are broken or defaced in some way to “kill” them so they don’t assist the dead in returning. Some groups placed the dead in graves others on the ground covering them with something, while other groups placed the dead on a special platform on the trees.” ref

‘Sky Burial’ theory and its possible origins at least 12,000 years ago to likely 30,000 years ago or older.

“Shaman cults tend to revolve around animals, natural objects, heroes and clan leaders have also been central to the lives of many of Siberia’s indigenous people. Many groups have strong beliefs in spirits, in realms of the sky and earth and follow cults associated with animals, especially the Raven. Things like illness and other misfortunes were attributed to spirits. Many Arctic people believe that each person has two souls: (1) a shadow soul that may leave the body during sleep or unconsciousness and take the form of a bee or a butterfly, and (2) a “breath” soul that provides life to humans and animals. Many groups believe the life forces lies within the bones, blood, and vital organs. For this reason the bones of the dead are treated with great reverence so a new life can be regenerated from them.” ref

“The Khanty (an indigenous people calling themselves Khanti, Khande, Kantek, living in Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug, a region historically known as “Yugra” in Russia) shamans who believe the forest is inhabited by invisible people and spirits of animals, forest, rivers and natural landmarks. The most important spirits belong to the sun, moon, and bear. Khanty shaman work as intermediaries between the living worlds and the spiritual world. The invisible people are like gremlins or trolls. They are blamed for missing puppies, strange events and unexplained behavior.” ref

Why This Paleolithic Burial Site Is So Strange (and So Important)

“In addition to beads and ochre, carefully manufactured mammoth ivory spears, ivory disks, and pierced cervid antlers were found with the skeletons. And this is not supersizing because by approximately 40,000 years ago, narrow stone blades and tools made of bone, ivory, and antler appeared, along with simple wood instruments. Yet these extravagant burials are only part of the reason why  Sungir stands out as the site is characterized by a much greater diversity of mortuary behaviors than archaeologists previously thought. ” ref, ref

“Sungir – Sunghir is a site that held multiple burials of least 10 individuals  and specifically two of the most extraordinary Upper Paleolithic burials known: one of an adult male “Sungir-1” and another of two children “Sungir-2 and  Sungir-3. The  two children  originally thought to be a boy and girl,are now thought to be two boys interred head-to-head. All remains were covered in ochre and were accompanied by rich grave goods including ivory beads and spears, armbands, and carvings, as well as arctic fox canines. Adjacent to  Sungir-2  was the femoral diaphysis (main or midsection (shaft) of a long bone) of an adult “Sungir 4″ that had been polished, hollowed out, and filled with red ochre. The site also yielded other less complete human remains, some of uncertain stratigraphic provenance [Sunghir 5 to 9. Radiocarbon analyses place the age of  Sungir-1 to  Sungir 4 date between 33,600-34,600 years ago. The homogeneity in morphological traits (e.g., metopism) among the remains, as well as signs of possible congenital pathologies in SIII, have been interpreted as evidence of inbreeding. Other Upper Paleolithic individuals with reported congenital or degenerative pathologies (e.g., at Barma Grande and Dolní Věstonice) reinforce the view that Upper Paleolithic groups were small and susceptible to inbreeding, possibly as extensive as what has been reported for the Altai Neandertal. However, genomic data available for some of those individuals were of insufficient coverage to infer population sizes or inbreeding levels.” ref, ref

Picture: link 

“There where at least three different forms of burials were practiced at Sunghir. While an adult femur shaft was found in the grave with the two youngsters, another femur bone was discovered isolated near the graves, with indications that the body had been abandoned on the surface without receiving any formal treatment. A cranium, was found with artifacts just above the adult’s lavish grave. This cranium represents only one part of the skeleton, it appears to have been deposited there in the context of a funerary ritual.” ref

“Sungir may thus be considered as the earliest modern human burial site in Europe with evidence of a social structure that would not have solely depended on people’s acquired status. And as can be indicative to a general shamanism thinking about body difference being special, both the juvenile and the adolescent appear to have suffered from physical abnormalities and likely their disabilities would have been visible to others. Their difference may have been part of the reason they were given an extravagant burial.” ref

“Analyses of mtDNA genomes from Sungir1 to Sungir 4 put them in haplogroup U, consistent with West Eurasian and Siberian Paleolithic and Mesolithic genomes. Sungir1 belongs to haplogroup U8c; the sequences for the three individuals from the double burial ( Sungir 2 to Sungir 4) are identical and belong to haplogroup U2, which is closely related to the Upper Paleolithic Kostenki 12 and Kostenki 14 individuals. Phylogenetic analyses of the Y chromosome sequences place all  Sungir individuals in an early divergent lineage of haplogroup C1a2. Y chromosome haplogroup C1, which is rare among contemporary Eurasians, has been found in other early European individuals, including the ~36,000-year-old Kostenki 14.” ref

“Haplogroup C1a2 (also known as Haplogroup C-V20): which has been discovered in the remains of Palaeolithic people in Czech Republic (30,000 years ago), Belgium (35,000 years ago), and the Sunghir archaeological site near Vladimir, Russia. Regarding more recent prehistory, Haplogroup C-V20 has been found in the remains of a male (died ca. 7,000 years ago) associated with a late group of the Alföld Linear Pottery culture at Kompolt-Kigyósér, Hungary whose mtDNA belonged to haplogroup J1c1, the remains of a male (died ca. 7,000 years ago) associated with the LBK Culture at Apc-Berekalja (I.), Hungary whose mtDNA belonged to haplogroup K1a3a3, and the remains of a male (died ca. 7,000 years ago) associated with Mesolithic culture at La Braña-Arintero, León, Spain whose mtDNA belonged to haplogroup U5b2c1. Haplogroup C-V20 Y-DNA also has been found in a small number of modern Europeans, Algerian Berbers,[6]Armenians, and Nepalis. It includes many Y-DNA samples associated with the oldest currently known population of anatomically modern humans in Europe (Cro-Magnons), and it is considered to be a carrier of the Upper Paleolithic Aurignacian culture that began 40,000 years ago.” ref

“There is significant Totamistic-Shamanism activity from Dolni Vestonice in the Czech Republic, with triple burial three teenagers to larger males DV 13 and DV 14 side by side flanking a smaller handicap male DV 15 in the middle position of the burial, a single older woman shaman burial with a carved portrait, and a Venus of Dolní Věstonice, 27,000 and 25,000 years ago. The Dna of three inhabitants of Dolni Vestonice, lived 31,155 years ago and to have mitochondrial haplogroup U, and one inhabitant mitochondrial haplogroup U8.” ref, ref, ref, ref, ref

Early Gravettian – The Pavlovian

“As the most important component of the Early Gravettian in Danubian Europe, the Pavlovian (30 – 25 ky) occupies a central location within the Lower Austrian – Moravian – South Polish geomorphological corridor (fig. 2a). Both the Pavlovian settlement archaeology and the resource analysis suggest a discontinuity compared to the previous Early Upper Paleolithic settlement strategies: the typical formation of the large open-air settlements in an axial manner, in lower altitudes and along the rivers; the long-distance transport of lithic raw materials; the intensive exploitation of mammoths supplemented by a variety of small animals; and, finally, aspects of ritual and style.” ref

“The art production at this stage of the Gravettian is remarkably complex, and includes carvings and engravings, soft stone carvings, and especially the ceramic plastic production. A majority of the human skeletal remains are equally dated to this period (Predmostí, Dolní Vestonice – Pavlov, Krems). Some of the ritual burials are covered by ochre, and some are covered by mammoth shoulderblades. It should be underlined, however, that they are poorly equipped by additive artifacts (if any, so just a few pierced decorative objects. The earliest Pavlovian occupation is best documented at Willendorf II, layer 5 (around and after 30 ky BP), Krems, and Dolní Vestonice II (a complex occupation horizons dated to 27 ky). The industry is dominated by burins, backed implements, and endscrapers, where burins are about the twice as numerous as endscrapers. The number of microliths, and especially geometric microliths, is usually low. A variety of pointed blades (including the Jerzmanowice-type points) and pointed microblades (including the Krems or Font Yves points) occur as well.” ref

Venus of Willendorf: Shamanism Headdresses that Cover the Eyes?

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

The “Atheist-Humanist-Leftist Revolutionaries”

Cory Johnston ☭ Ⓐ Atheist Leftist @Skepticallefty & I (Damien Marie AtHope) @AthopeMarie (my YouTube & related blog) are working jointly in atheist, antitheist, antireligionist, antifascist, anarchist, socialist, and humanist endeavors in our videos together, generally, every other Saturday.

Why Does Power Bring Responsibility?

Think, how often is it the powerless that start wars, oppress others, or commit genocide? So, I guess the question is to us all, to ask, how can power not carry responsibility in a humanity concept? I know I see the deep ethical responsibility that if there is power their must be a humanistic responsibility of ethical and empathic stewardship of that power. Will I be brave enough to be kind? Will I possess enough courage to be compassionate? Will my valor reach its height of empathy? I as everyone, earns our justified respect by our actions, that are good, ethical, just, protecting, and kind. Do I have enough self-respect to put my love for humanity’s flushing, over being brought down by some of its bad actors? May we all be the ones doing good actions in the world, to help human flourishing.

I create the world I want to live in, striving for flourishing. Which is not a place but a positive potential involvement and promotion; a life of humanist goal precision. To master oneself, also means mastering positive prosocial behaviors needed for human flourishing. I may have lost a god myth as an atheist, but I am happy to tell you, my friend, it is exactly because of that, leaving the mental terrorizer, god belief, that I truly regained my connected ethical as well as kind humanity.

Cory and I will talk about prehistory and theism, addressing the relevance to atheism, anarchism, and socialism.

At the same time as the rise of the male god, 7,000 years ago, there was also the very time there was the rise of violence, war, and clans to kingdoms, then empires, then states. It is all connected back to 7,000 years ago, and it moved across the world.

Cory Johnston: https://damienmarieathope.com/2021/04/cory-johnston-mind-of-a-skeptical-leftist/?v=32aec8db952d  

The Mind of a Skeptical Leftist (YouTube)

Cory Johnston: Mind of a Skeptical Leftist @Skepticallefty

The Mind of a Skeptical Leftist By Cory Johnston: “Promoting critical thinking, social justice, and left-wing politics by covering current events and talking to a variety of people. Cory Johnston has been thoughtfully talking to people and attempting to promote critical thinking, social justice, and left-wing politics.” http://anchor.fm/skepticalleft

Cory needs our support. We rise by helping each other.

Cory Johnston ☭ Ⓐ @Skepticallefty Evidence-based atheist leftist (he/him) Producer, host, and co-host of 4 podcasts @skeptarchy @skpoliticspod and @AthopeMarie

Damien Marie AtHope (“At Hope”) Axiological Atheist, Anti-theist, Anti-religionist, Secular Humanist. Rationalist, Writer, Artist, Poet, Philosopher, Advocate, Activist, Psychology, and Armchair Archaeology/Anthropology/Historian.

Damien is interested in: Freedom, Liberty, Justice, Equality, Ethics, Humanism, Science, Atheism, Antiteism, Antireligionism, Ignosticism, Left-Libertarianism, Anarchism, Socialism, Mutualism, Axiology, Metaphysics, LGBTQI, Philosophy, Advocacy, Activism, Mental Health, Psychology, Archaeology, Social Work, Sexual Rights, Marriage Rights, Woman’s Rights, Gender Rights, Child Rights, Secular Rights, Race Equality, Ageism/Disability Equality, Etc. And a far-leftist, “Anarcho-Humanist.”

I am not a good fit in the atheist movement that is mostly pro-capitalist, I am anti-capitalist. Mostly pro-skeptic, I am a rationalist not valuing skepticism. Mostly pro-agnostic, I am anti-agnostic. Mostly limited to anti-Abrahamic religions, I am an anti-religionist. 

To me, the “male god” seems to have either emerged or become prominent around 7,000 years ago, whereas the now favored monotheism “male god” is more like 4,000 years ago or so. To me, the “female goddess” seems to have either emerged or become prominent around 11,000-10,000 years ago or so, losing the majority of its once prominence around 2,000 years ago due largely to the now favored monotheism “male god” that grow in prominence after 4,000 years ago or so. 

My Thought on the Evolution of Gods?

Animal protector deities from old totems/spirit animal beliefs come first to me, 13,000/12,000 years ago, then women as deities 11,000/10,000 years ago, then male gods around 7,000/8,000 years ago. Moralistic gods around 5,000/4,000 years ago, and monotheistic gods around 4,000/3,000 years ago. 

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope (Said as “At” “Hope”)/(Autodidact Polymath but not good at math):

Axiological Atheist, Anti-theist, Anti-religionist, Secular Humanist, Rationalist, Writer, Artist, Jeweler, Poet, “autodidact” Philosopher, schooled in Psychology, and “autodidact” Armchair Archaeology/Anthropology/Pre-Historian (Knowledgeable in the range of: 1 million to 5,000/4,000 years ago). I am an anarchist socialist politically. Reasons for or Types of Atheism

My Website, My Blog, & Short-writing or Quotes, My YouTube, Twitter: @AthopeMarie, and My Email: damien.marie.athope@gmail.com