Europe / Asia
Sometimes I scratch my head a lot, not due to fleas or lice, but when I read these articles.
It should be quite apparent by now that scientific knowledge is only valid at the current time, for tomorrow something comes along that changes preconceived ideas and so-called fact. There are countless quotes from many famous people who say, “science proceeds from one error to another”, or words to that effect, meaning that discoveries are only valid until a new one overrides the old.
That is why I have deep reservations about those who constantly babble on about science being the only method of truth seeking, when in fact today’s science is tomorrow’s defunct theory.
Of course, science has its place in our society. Without it we wouldn’t be where we are, technologically or otherwise, but in the case of archaeology and ancient history, those who stick to rigid ways of thinking are barking up the wrong tree at the best of times, and tunnel vision only succeeds in producing a distorted view of our past. Scholars are often experts in one particular field, and therefore are not seeing the wider picture.
So, I’m a bit confused why this finding is such a surprise. We know very little about the spread of humans across Europe and Asia, and the current model sits on a precarious chair which only has three legs. In fact, there are several models that need to be totally wiped off the chalkboard – the Out-of-Africa theory is as dead as the dodo; humans were clearly in the Americas far earlier than anthropologists believe; and it’s abundantly obvious there were other human species – perhaps our ancestors and breeding partners – all over the world and outside of Africa.
Only when we scrap these theories and start again will we actually begin to understand where we come from. Unfortunately, archaeologists and the like are constantly trying to fit new findings into these flawed models, and that is where we are going wrong. The problem is, those in positions of influence can often refuse to accept new data – papers are dismissed at the review process when they don’t fit the paradigm. For example, artefacts found in the Americas in layers 50,000 years old are immediately dismissed, thus removing them from public view. This must completely change, and until it does we will move very, very slowly with accepting new data.
So, it shouldn’t be a surprise to find new genetic data that doesn’t fit previous models. Genetic science is still relatively new and is itself flawed to a large degree. Far too many scientists place an element of accuracy into genetic data that doesn’t deserve to be there, and interpretation is still the dominant, and often wrong, application with that data.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/dna-mating-asian-herders-european-farmers?tgt=nr
**Breaking News**
Republic of Ireland
Up to 40 new structures have been found at Brú na Bóinne, near the famous Newgrange Neolithic site. Of the dozens of structures discovered, many are early Neolithic houses and Bronze Age burial tombs.
The jewel in the crown, however, is a structure aligned with the winter solstice, and the article quotes Dr. Steve Davis as saying it is “a key monument that is the largest and most complicated of its type in the world.”
Newgrange is by far the most significant ancient site in Ireland, and these new findings will make it one of the most important in the world.
Newgrange is significant because its long chamber tomb predates both Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids, of course if one is inclined to believe the traditional dates applied to these sites. The chamber tomb, dated to around 3200 BC, illuminates along the deep passage during the Winter Solstice.
Spain / Europe
Having reported on this subject several times previously, it’s worth reiterating these elements because, as the article states, the myth still persists of the docile, unintelligent species that were wiped out by the more intelligent and rising homo sapiens sapiens.
So, let’s look at the evidence.
It was thought Neanderthal artistry was copied from humans in that they must have watched us and tried to mimic our behaviour. It was also thought we killed them all because of their stupidity and our aggression, and it was considered they were lacking in just about every way.
Those ideas still do persist, so let’s get the facts straight again.
Neanderthal was twice as strong physically, had a larger brain and was highly artistic, cared for their dead through burial, and had musical abilities, among other traits.
We humans still have 4% Neanderthal DNA, proving beyond doubt that we interbred.
Now here’s the most likely scenario.
It was we humans who copied Neanderthal art, burial, music and just about every other element imaginable, and adopted their loving spirituality through interbreeding.
We are a very aggressive species, and Neanderthal was far more advanced. While conflict probably occurred at times, it is a false hypothesis that humans were responsible for their extinction. In fact, they aren’t extinct, because they live on in every one of us.
It is very possible that interbreeding may be the likely cause of our artistic abilities on every level, which is why we have a duality of left and right brain – logic and aggression against love and art. While love can be seen in all mammals, in humans it is a very powerful force through expression.
The late – and very great – Stan Gooch, proposed the theory that we are in fact a crossbreed of Neanderthal and Cro Magnon, rather than an independently evolved species. Even though Stan’s theory was some considerable time ago and may be outdated, he may have been close to the truth, especially now we have the recently discovered Denisovans to add to the mix.
The Missing Link is still missing, and our origins are still shrouded in mystery. The universe is not the way we perceive it to be, and neither are we. The rise of human ingenuity is more likely less to do with direct Darwinian evolution from a single species, and more likely to do with adopting our ambiguous traits from interbreeding with others, creating a hybrid species with often conflicting behavioural traits.
And the thing that strikes me the most – if we only have 4% Neanderthal DNA, imaging how powerful, how loving, how intelligent, how musical, how caring, and how artistic the full 100% Neanderthal was…
