01:119:116 Lecture Notes - Lecture 26: Neanderthal 1, Thomas Henry Huxley, Georges Cuvier
4 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
Human antiquity: how we came to understand that humans were ancient. It took a long time to establish human antiquity. In 18th/19th centuries, geologists and biologists worked with short chronology for. It was, by western civilisation, thought earth was 6,000 years old. No paleontologists existed because it was thought there were no extinct organisms. Earth had always had the species it has now. Antiquarians - collected stone tools as objets d"art (curios) or as evidence of presence of ancient people like picts, celts etc. (people that preceded greek/romans) Thought stone tools were a result of lightning strikes (thunder stones) or evidence of fairy folk/elves. Western science and culture since greco-roman times has traditionally emphasized. According to western short chronology: earth and life were several thousand years old: earth was not ancient. Contra ancient egyptians, hindu, mesoamerican + other traditions. Thought of as cyclical in nature (destruction/recreation) Later reinforced by literal interpretation of the judeo-christian scriptures.
