Primitive culture. Peculiarities of primitive culture

Primitive culture is the most ancient type of civilization that defines human life throughout history. Despite the fact that modern scientists have a variety of different artifacts that allow us to know the approximate dates of their appearance, it has not been possible to determine the timeframe for the existence of the cave man. It is only known that the epoch in question is the most prolonged, since some tribes still live in the corresponding order. They are common in Africa and South America.

Medicine

Among all the practical knowledge, medicine, strangely enough, became the first area to which a caveman turned his attention. This is proved by rock carvings, which depict various animals with the structure of their body, skeleton, arrangement of internal organs and so on. In the process of taming cattle, this knowledge was used in the treatment or, for example, in cooking.

As for the use of medicine in order to improve people's health, here the culture of the primitive man did not allow it until the Mesolithic age. Ancient graves prove that even in those times there was an opportunity to impose a plaster or amputate a limb. In this case, of course, the person remained alive. But ancient people could not ascribe such actions to mere mortals, medicine seemed to them something divine. Therefore, all the doctors were ranked among the saints, they became shamans and oracles with all possible benefits and respect.

Mathematics

When the Paleolithic era came, cavemen began to acquire mathematical knowledge. They, as a rule, were used in the division of production or distribution of duties. Evidence of this is, for example, the spear found on the territory of modern Czech Republic, where there are 20 incisions distributed in equal parts into 4 parts. This means that people could then perform the simplest arithmetic operations.

In the Neolithic culture of the primitive world replenished and other knowledge - geometric. First, a person draws appropriate figures on rocks or various products. Then he begins to build houses of regular geometric shapes. This, of course, had a positive effect on the comfort of everyday life.

Mythology

Myth in primitive culture became a way of understanding the world around, and if it did not appear, it is unlikely that a person could grow to modern cultural heights. Any action, natural or weather, was not perceived by people in the order of things, everything that happened was of a magical shade. It was impossible to explain, for example, the rain from the scientific point of view: if he went, then so some higher beings wanted.

For the primitive man myths were something special. Only with their help could he move to the next stage of development. Ancient mythology had several features:

• The first myths helped people to get used to many external events, and they were created by logical and abstract associations.
• Mythology could prove the occurrence of events.
• Myths did not appear just like that. They were made on the basis of emotional, weather, natural and any other patterns.
• Mythology was passed from generation to generation, it was a kind of theory from ancestors that helped to survive, create coziness or get food. Therefore, it can not be called an individual creation, every myth appeared as a result of collective experience within the framework of one primitive community.
• Myths contributed to self-expression, not without their help, various kinds of art appeared.

Gradually, the cave man moved away from myths, and then the first religious beliefs appeared. At first they were similar to each other, then more and more individualized.

Varieties of primitive religions

All features of primitive culture are not contained only in beliefs. Over time, tribes gain the necessary amount of knowledge and experience, so they can move to a new stage, consisting in the formation of religions, the first of which were already in the Paleolithic. Some events that happened to people, they already learned to explain, but others still wore a magical character for them. Then the belief arises that some supernatural forces can influence the outcome of hunting or other important action.

Primitive culture includes several religions, presented in the table below.

After them comes the belief called animism. According to him, man had his own soul. After his death, she flew away in search of a new "vessel". It was believed that she often could not find the shell, and then she began to vex the relatives of the deceased in the form of a ghost.

Animism, it may be said, is the progenitor of all modern religions, because here already appears the afterlife, some deity that rules over all souls, both with the shell and without it, as well as the first funeral rituals. It is from this belief that the tradition has gone not to leave dead relatives, but to accompany them with all the honors.

The beginnings of literary art

If we consider such a large-scale epoch as a primitive culture, briefly, it will be difficult to disclose the topic of literature of that time. The appearance of the first works could not be fixed, because then there was no written language. And the existence of various legends or legends has not been scientifically proven.

However, if you look at the rock paintings, it seems that the person clearly understood what he wants to convey to his descendants. Accordingly, in advance, there was a legend in his head. It is believed that the rudiments of literary art appeared precisely in primitive times. Only through oral legends was it possible to convey this or that myth to the next generation.

art

Primitive art culture developed quite quickly. Moreover, its importance was higher than in modern times. This is due to the fact that a person then could not write and express all that he thinks in words. Therefore, the only opportunity for communication was only visual art. With his help, by the way, there were various exercises, including mathematics and medicine.

It is likely that the primitive culture did not perceive drawings as an art. With their help, people, for example, could receive the blessing of their totem animal by depicting it inside their home. They did not in any way mark the decorative role of drawings, and did them only to convey knowledge, point to their faith and so on.

In primitive culture, animals were often painted. People depicted on different surfaces of animals or their separate parts. The fact is that the whole life of that time was spinning around hunting. And if the harvesters of the community had ceased to bring the game, it is unlikely that a person could survive.

There is one more feature of rock art. Primitive artists did not see proportions. They could draw a huge mountain goat, next to which is a tiny mammoth. Understanding the proportions appeared much later and not in the primitive system. Also, animals were not shown standing, they were always in motion (they ran or galloped).

The appearance of artisans

All the achievements of primitive culture can be considered minimal in comparison with what artisans managed to do. The people of that time acted collectively, if they were studying something, they could not reach a high professional level. But with the beginning of agriculture the situation has changed, craftsmen have appeared, who all their life were engaged in one particular business, honing their skills. So, some made spears, the second extracted game, the third grew plants, the fourth could be treated and so on.

Gradually, people began to think about sharing. Communities began to evolve differently, as before, when blood ties were the main criterion for choosing a place of residence. Farmers stopped where fertile soils, weapons manufacturers - near primitive quarries or mines, potters - where there is strong clay. Hunters never stayed in place, they moved depending on the migrations of animals.

For each of these communities to receive what it lacks, people began to change different things. Some gave dishes to others or totemic talismans, instead of receiving vegetables, others changed tools for meat. Over time, this was the reason for the formation of cities, and later - full-fledged countries or states.

Periodization

The entire primitive system is divided into several periods. This occurs on the basis of materials that were used in the production of guns at one time or another. The first and longest is the Stone Age. It, in turn, is also divided into several stages: Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic. At this time, the formation of a person is taking place, art, mythology is born, the instrument of labor is manufactured and improved.

After the development of the metal, the characteristics of the primitive culture underwent a significant transformation. With the discovery of copper begins the Eneolithic, or the copper-stone century. Now people master crafts and exchange, after all, for the processing of metal, knowledge is needed that only those who have had enough time to develop their skills.

After copper, open the bronze, which actually immediately displaces copper, because much harder. The bronze age is coming. The first societies appear, where there is a division into classes, but one can not say that this did not happen before. Also around this time, the first cities and states are formed.

With the discovery of iron and its properties, the Iron Age begins. Not all the tribes of that time could extract and process the metal, so some territories go far ahead in their development. Further, it was impossible to call the primitive era, a new one was started, but not all states were able to enter it.

It is worth noting that during each period, the use of other materials in production is allowed. Their names they received only in accordance with the prevalence of the raw materials used.

Taylor's widespread reflections on primitive culture

A great contribution to modern knowledge was made by the English ethnographer, who was very interested in primitive culture. Taylor E.B. printed a book in which he described in detail all his reflections, naturally confirming them with facts. For example, he was one of the first to point out that the societies of that time developed extremely slowly for one simple reason. It consists in the absence of written language. People did not have the opportunity to accumulate and transmit information in the way a modern person can do. And everyone learned about something new on their own experience, which, incidentally, was often repeated in another society or community.

There are several more assumptions about why the primitive culture developed so slowly. Taylor assumed that this was not only due to the lack of written language. Cave people learned to live, their experience often became fatal. However, after such sad mistakes the whole community began to understand that something can not be done. Consequently, the action on the model hindered the development, people were simply afraid to try to do otherwise.

Many historians do not share the theory that in primitive society there was a division into social constructions. However, Taylor thought differently. Those who improved their ritual knowledge, held a special position in the community, they were respected and often presented with additional portions of food or a more convenient and safe home.

Famous work

If we consider this era as primitive culture, briefly, then we can take as a basis virtually any territory of the planet. This is due to the fact that initially all the societies that have ever appeared in the world developed roughly the same way. Taylor in his book "Primitive Culture" described many events of that time, and he confirmed every word he had given, whether it was the findings of archaeologists or the first mythological writings.

According to Tylor, primitive culture in our time is too much underestimated. Moreover, many people today believe that that era was wild. This is true, but only partly. If at the moment a person is looking at a grossly hewn ax that helped in hunting for a mammoth, as a product of a clumsy master, then he hardly thinks about what would happen, do not take this ancient hunter this product in hand.

The culture of the primitive epoch is interesting for research. Despite the fact that many scientists paid close attention to it, there remain an infinite number of undisclosed and unproved moments. There are only assumptions and hypotheses. In fact, no one can say for sure that this or that rock carving definitely meant a concrete event or action. The primitive era is as mysterious as many other things that can not be explained today, even with modern genius minds and technologies.