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On Civilization 12

The Ever-unfolding Marriage of

Loewenmensch and Venus of Hohle Fels

We imagine there must have been a lot of grunting, nodding, and gesturing during the wedding ceremony, since there seems not yet to have been any kind of complex verbal language – nor did there seem to be, as well, any explicit communication system – no markings, no graphic signs, no pictographs, no alphabet with which they could commemorate the wedding.

But as the descendants of Mensch and Hohle Fels, and other families spread to the east – to Egypt and Mesopotamia, India and Pakistan, and west – to Britain, creating their farms and communities along the ways, complex communication became more important. And, surprise, the first 4,000 years of the development of written communication was not about personal interrelating but was all about commerce – keeping account of commercial transactions.


As demonstrated by the fact that I am still talking about this time, the Neolithic period (+/-9,000 to +/- 3,000BC) seems to have been one of the most densely productive times in human history. And one of the most astounding accomplishments within this approximately 6 to 8,000-year period was the evolution of a written and aural language that became increasingly more intricate and abstract. It developed almost concurrently, but independently, in China and in Mesoamerica, but the creation of complex language appears to have begun in Sumer, in the western part of what is now called Iran.

For millions of years hominid roamed the Earth, primarily Africa and its surrounds, with very basic (in comparison to our own) communication skills. Neither homo habilis, nor homo erectus, nor homo sapiens evolved their communication to any degree – until this Neolithic time. Then, suddenly, it all changed. Some say it happened in tandem with an increase of brain size and a corresponding development of the vocal tract. Others posit that the invention and use of tools drove a development of the brain that ultimately led to this improvement of language skills.

In his book, The Phenomenon of Man, Teilhard de Chardin discusses that, put simply, when humans coalesce, gather into larger and denser groups, an energy is created that propels humanity toward greater understanding and accomplishment – although he does hold off until the book’s appendix to raise the topic of the negative side of human evolution.

Credit to “The Evolution of Writing” by Denise Schmandt-Besserat for images and information.