Some Implications of the Paleolithic Symbolic Evidence for the Origin of Language*

Marshack, Alexander

doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1976.tb25495.x

Cited by 103 publications

(34 citation statements)

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“…With the La Ferrassie example, then, we are once again faced with the variability in Neanderthal symbolic behavior, despite the seeming simplicity and "archaic" nature of the evidence. Also at La Ferrassie, but in the burial of a Neanderthal adult, a bone was found incised with evenly spaced sets of parallel strokes, each set accumulated at a different angle (Peyrony, 1934;Marshack, 1972aMarshack, , 1976). The marking is totally different from the irregular and random work marks often found on Paleolithic bone surfaces, but is similar to marked bones found in this same Franco-Cantabrian region during the Aurignacian.…”

Section: Of the Mousterian Symbol Systems Occasionally Discussed In Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From roughly the same period as the Bocksteinschmiede beads in Germany, but from the early Mousterian site of Tata in Hungary, c. 100,000 BP according to the U/T dating of Schwarcz (1982), there comes the beautifully shaped plaque carved from a single section or lamelle of a compound mammoth molar (Bordes, 1968;Marshack, 1976). The hard enamel or dentine surface of the main face was covered with red ochre; the softer rear had been beveled back so that it would not break in handling.…”

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Evolution of the human capacity: The symbolic evidence

Marshack

1989

Am. J. Phys. Anthropol.

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Rare instances of symboling and problem-solving in the archaeological record of the European Acheulian and Mousterian suggest highly evolved potentially variable hominid capacities. These are aspects of capacity not evidenced in the lithic industries and habitation site complexes, and they cannot be determined from studies of comparative morphology or genetic distance. This sparse artifactual evidence cannot be quantified and is, in fact, statistically insignificant. Nevertheless, the internal cognitive contents and complexity evident in these unique materials reveal the presence of highly evolved skills and conceptual capacities involving the evaluation and use of diverse materials and processes. They also reveal a capacity for planning and mapping or modeling the territory and culture in time and space. Significantly, the evidence for these behaviors is richer in Europe during these early periods than in other areas of late hominid presence, including the Middle East and Africa where forms of anatomically modern humans were developing. It is possible that these early European efforts represent incipient and preparatory innovations that in some measure led to the regional "creative explosion" of the following European Upper Paleolithic. It is suggested that hominization selected for certain types and classes of problem-solving and symboling capacity and that the Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans each represent progressive advances over the evolved erectus capacity and its cultural manifests. It is also suggested that these late hominid capacities ultimately and evolutionarily derive from still earlier potential and variable problemsolving and conceptual capacities comparable to those found among the great apes.

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Section: Of the Mousterian Symbol Systems Occasionally Discussed In Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Evolution of the human capacity: The symbolic evidence

Marshack

1989

Am. J. Phys. Anthropol.

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“…They are seen as a hallmark of cognition and symbolism, and even as evidence for language [4][5][6]. Growing numbers of engraved bones, ochre, ostrich eggshells and stone artifacts are reported from South Africa, Europe and the Levant, and even North Asia palaeolithic sites [7][8][9][10][11][12][13].…”

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An engraved artifact from Shuidonggou, an Early Late Paleolithic Site in Northwest China

et al. 2012

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Cognition and symbolic thinking are viewed as important features of modern human behavior. Engraved objects are seen as a hallmark of cognition and symbolism, and even as evidence for language. Accumulated evidences including engraved bones, ochre, ostrich eggshells and stone artifacts were unearthed from Africa, Europe, Levant even Siberia Paleolithic sites. But the archaeological evidence for this, including beads, ornaments, burials, performed objects and engraved objects, is rarely discovered in the Pleistocene of East Asia. The present paper reports an engraved stone object unearthed in the Early Late Paleolithic levels about 30 ka BP at the Shuidonggou site (SDG) in northwestern China. It was unearthed in the 1980's excavation from Lower culture unit of SDG1 but was identified in 2011 when the first author of this article observed the collection from the 1980's excavations stored in the Institute of Archaeology of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region for further detailed lithic analysis. This lithic artifact is the first engraved non-organic object of the Paleolithic period found in China. In order to clarify the details of the incisions and to document the human intentional modifications, we used a KEYENCE VHX-600 Digital Microscope to measure and observe all the incisions in 3-dimensional perspective. Comparing the natural cracks and analyzing many details of the incisions, we argue that incisions on this stone artifact are the result of intentional behaviors by ancient humans. Also, we exclude the possible other causes including animal-induced damages, post-depositional phenomenon and unintentional by-products. Combining all these features, we suggest that the incisions were made by an intentional behavior and were probably of a non-utilitarian character. Because the nature of most other engraved objects in China is debate, we cannot get a clear scenario of the emergence and progress of modern human behavior in North China. But we infer the possible existence of a counting or recording system, or other symbolic behaviors, which reflect considerably evolved cognitive capacities or modern human behavior in the Early Late Paleolithic of East Asia. modern human behavior, engraved artifact, cognition and symbolism, Shuidonggou, Early Late Paleolithic

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“…Later in MIS 5 (widely treated in the European context as the beginning of the last glacial cycle, but containing two mild sub-phases, 5.3 and 5.1) there is the striking Tata plaque from Hungary. This polished and red-ochred section of a mammoth molar (Marshack 1976;Vértes 1959) is associated with a dating estimate of ~100 ka (Hausmann and Brunnacker 1988) Obermaier 1925: 291), but on the scant details available these do not appear compelling. Below we consider the case of Pech de l'Azé IV.…”

Section: Neanderthal Energeticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Untitled

2013

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Reproductive synchrony or desynchrony of primate females influences number and fitness of males in mating systems. Langur monkey populations provide a natural experiment for observing alternative female strategies of confusing or concentrating paternity. Where females escape seasonal reproductive constraints, they desynchronize fertility and show visible cues (menstruation), enabling single males to monopolize matings. This increases female fitness by reducing food competition. Where langurs are seasonally constrained, females conceal fertility, confusing paternity and reducing infanticide. These case studies illuminate how hominin females could increase male numbers and investment. Fitness payoffs to male investors will be affected by degree of reproductive seasonal constraint, and by females either concealing or confusing menstrual cues of imminent fertility. Among ancestors of modern humans and Neanderthals these strategies diverged. Under pressure of encephalization, modern human female ancestors, less seasonally constrained, pursued a strategy of cosmeticization of menstrual signals. This Female Cosmetic Coalitions model accounts for the African Middle Stone Age record of pigment use. Among Neanderthals, strategies alternated. Severe seasonality during glacial cycles tied Neanderthal males into pair-bonds, suppressing cosmetic signaling. Only during interglacials when seasonality relaxed would Neanderthal females require blood-red cosmetics. Our Seasonality Thermostat model explains why European ochre use correlates with climate through the Middle to Late Pleistocene. INTRODUCTION There is a growing consensus that evolving Homo mothers relied on cooperative breeding to raise larger-bodied, larger-brained offspring (e.g., Aiello and Key 2002;Barrickman et al. 2008;Burkart et al. 2009;Robson and Wood 2008;Shultz et al. 2012;van Schaik et al. 2006 Models for cultural levels of human cooperation (Boyd and Richerson 1992, 2005Gintis et al. 2003;Henrich and Boyd 2001;Henrich et al. 2003Henrich et al. , 2006Nowak and Sigmund 2005;Richerson et al. 2003), invoke multilevel and group selection processes, but ignore what is most difficult to explain-how to secure cooperation between the sexes, given the trade-off between investing in current offspring versus future mating opportunities (cf. Bowles 2006). One game theory model (Key 1998(Key , 2000 incorporated the differences of reproductive energetic costs to specify conditions for the evolution of cooperation that can be practically applied to the fossil record. Yet even these conditions do not identify how females induced males to subsidize their reproduction (Kaplan et al. 2000;Marlowe 2001). Recent models (Gavrilets 2012) highlight the difficulty of shifting from systems of significant male mating competition into productive male investment, where males face a social dilemma of ceding fitness advantage to free-riding rivals.If we can define the mechanisms available to Homo females giving them leverage against male defection through the Early to Middle Plei...

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Some Implications of the Paleolithic Symbolic Evidence for the Origin of Language*

Cited by 103 publications

References 8 publications

Evolution of the human capacity: The symbolic evidence

Evolution of the human capacity: The symbolic evidence

An engraved artifact from Shuidonggou, an Early Late Paleolithic Site in Northwest China

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