"Heads on Sticks" was the theme of the Senior Literature class I used to teach. Sometimes "on sticks" was a bit of a stretch, but it worked. Begin with Beowulf (Mum's head hauled to the hall), The Heart of Darkness (obvious), up to The Importance of Being Earnest (Lady B was a figurative taker of heads.) Nothing delights teens as much as a touch of dark humor. :)
The idea of the heads on stakes being a sign of a barrier beyond which you shall not pass ( 2:20 ) from a 7,500 year old site makes me think of the documentary Into Eternity about the Onkolo nuclear waste site that is designed to last 100,000 years and the question they ask; what type of sign can we make to inform people thousands of years from now that this place is not safe and to stay out? It's a documentary followers of this channel may like because it deals with time over human scale and Earth scale.
So, you have bones of fishermen and boars, bears and badgers. But no deer or grazers, mainly omnivores and carnivores which are territorial. And the artificial island was a well defined territory in a lake. And one men of the skulls-on-a-stick clearly had been fighting to conquer or defend something. A possible explanation would be that a fishing community used the island to bring rare Meat offerings to watergods and at the same time signal that these waters were theirs.
Hunter gatherers settled in Scandinavia as soon as the ice retreated. They arrived in boats and were fishing but especially hunting seals. So it is an important area in the discussion about how long ago people managed to be seafaring and move around over the waters. Gradually people settled in and started hunting more on land but that coastal lifestyle stayed important. It leads researchers to remark how boats must have been around even during the upper paleolithic. Because we have the same evidence increasingly that Magdalenian and Solutrean people in France and Spain were out on the ocean already from 25 thousand years ago or longer. And this provides evidence for the Solutrean Hypothesis as well. The fishing and sealhunting began at sites such as La Riera or Nerja. As far as we can tell because sea level rise has hidden other coastal evidence.
i study the upper paleolithic and hazelnuts were an important thing for those people too. Hazelnuts must have been used by the Neanderthals even as well. (and other nuts) Imagine what a great food source those nuts are. I used to collect them in the wild myself and they stay edible for a few years. What a great source of food when other food perishes so quickly. Imagine a prehistoric person 20-30 thousand years ago trying to survive collecting nuts and thinking....this is my food. I can rely on this as my food. I can make a stash and know they will be there....that is worth so much to a hunter-gatherer trying to survive.
A second paper was just released! It focuses on the context of the area through reconstruction of artificial landforms and artifacts and it is now known the artificial island was the site of an ancient brewery, requiring the need for large amounts of water.
Interesting that the diet of the bodies found consisted of fish, nuts and berries - and not boar, bear and other remains found at the site. It looks like these victims did not share on the consumption of boar or bear, despite the butchery marks.
These mammals frequently feature as powerful totems or spirits in later shamanic rituals; we know that boars and bears were culturally and spiritually important in later Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Iron Age (and even into the Viking times) cultures throughout Eurasia. There was probably some spiritual significance to the animal remains; they were not the result of a funeral feast but specifically chosen and sacrificed for symbolic reasons.
It's not a commonly discussed phenomenon that concussions and minor brain injuries can lead to spiritual and metaphysical experiences. The fact that these individuals were chosen and that each had specific cranial injury suggests to me that there could be a correlation between the injuries, their medical and psychological effects, and their relationship to spirituality and the spiritual cultural beliefs of the people. Given the nature of the injuries, that the injuries were survived and that they differ between male and female subjects combined with their having been very intentionally placed in the way described, and the physical location chosen suggests to me the possibility that the location and placement was dedicated to particular individuals who were either accidentally or intentionally injured in order to be spiritual guides. * The infant skull is an exception in being without injuries, and yet said infant or child could have had some other medical or psychological predisposition toward qualifying as spiritual or more open. I have some education in archeology but a significant amount of experience in the academic study of the relationship between brain injury/ concussions and spiritual or metaphysical experiences. So this informed surmise. Surmise nonetheless, and my projection based on singular and subjective views very certainly.
Head injuries often cause personality changes. A common one is increase in irrational violence. Famously the murderous Henry Vlll was unconscious for 3 days after the jousting session when his leg was badly injured. Some have suggested that the previously pleasant young man suffered such a change. Though others poo poo the idea.
@helenamcginty4920 It isn't uncommon, but anger and violence are too often associated with head trauma and brain injury. The truth is that personality changes, which are more positive or spiritual, are often overlooked specifically because they are not anger and violence. Our society brings attention to anger and violence as a symptom of TBI because we fear it and because it negatively impacts others. It's also more easily evidenced. Whereas positive changes, synestesia, and spiritual or metaphysical experiences are less outwardly harmful and obvious. They also conflict with a very either religious or static view of reality.
Can we completely dismiss trepanation? In the case of trepanning it might be that they could be considered special because they were thought to have once been a vessel of a spirit or whatever. Having or retaining a hole could mean that they were now open to receive other spirits? If we can dismiss trepanation, perhaps their injury had made them disabled in some way and were just good subjects for human sacrifice, not quite able to contribute to society but still "valuable" in terms of gifts to the gods. The bear and boar were probably seen as impressive offerings, which makes me think it was a place for special offerings.
I couldn't help envision the opening scene from Gladiator, when the barbarian walks out of the woods with a head in his hands, then tosses it in front of him screaming something in old Scandinavian.
In some mythologies water is gate to the afterlife. In bear cult-to which those bear bones point to-bear skulls are placed on top of the sticks or hang to the trees to guide the bear's soul to the afterlife (Ursa Major): "Joseph Campbell - Cave Bears and the Birth of Mythology".
Bear , Boar , Badger , all fierce animlas , the deer if a stag could also be seen as a fierce animal ? intresting , jaws missing from the animals and human ? so that may suggest they are seen as the same , fierce ?
The fact that there is evidence of healing of the skulls subsequent to the blunt force trauma would discount the site as being due to sacrifice or execution, therefore not the same as the famous "bog bodies". Perhaps these people had suffered injuries while defending a village, and later died, and were buried together as a memorial to their deeds. While there were certainly female warriors in the past, not all cultures had them. Perhaps the men were injured while fighting, and the women while attempting to take cover or escape. All speculation of course, but that scenario would align with the position of the injuries. Fish being a major part of the diet for those people makes sense. It's still the same for modern inhabitants of Scandinavia.
But the animal offerings weren't ducks or deer, they were bear and boar - both seen as powerful animals since they are ferocious and dangerous. I think the collection of animals is a significant marker of a place of special offerings.
Could the animal bones been placed as offerings while still in the form of butchered pieces of animal? The collocated pieces of meat would then decay leaving behind a random scattering of bone. Further movement of the bones could occur via transport from scavengers or wave movement. Just a theory.
Too bad we can’t go back in time and ask “ so, like, why did you put those peoples heads on sticks?” Because the answer could be very involved and far stranger than we, in our modern life, can imagine.
How do you guys get full access to these sites? I can imagine there being some protection/security so John Doe stays out. Do you just muscle and bully your way in? 😄
Years of developing relationships with the archaeological community, doing things by the book and acquiring the correct permissions from the authorities for filming - certainly in the case of Göbekli Tepe and other big sites. We are so grateful for the trust that has been put in us and the experiences we have had and we hope through this we are sharing a first-hand experience that more people can enjoy.
Great content again guys, we do miss you while you're off on your adventures! Lots of food for thought here, although it's pretty obvious that man's inhumanity to both women and other men can't really be questioned, even today. It's nice to know there are some good guys out there. @roxiepoe9586, thanks for an amazing idea to entertain and enlighten my C2, English Proficiency class! My head is buzzing with ideas!
What puzzles me is how come these heads belonged to fish , nuts and berry eaters,when they are surrounded by evidence of meat eating? Were they captured slaves from another, more coastal tribe? Were their heads used as a sort of warning, after they died, or could no longer work? Hmm...you've made my mind boggle!
Archeology 101, never assume that what you are looking at is a representation of X # of years ago. With wars, & layering of Societies, chances are you are far removed from the reality; "(that this was typical life back in the day)!".
Not Fossilized? Hehe Why should we subscribe to your channel when you Really aren't Questioning Anything? You just give Some of the research from the 'Papers' you read? We can do that too. In regard to Gobekli Tepe n other Tepes, we Know Hunter Gatherers doesn't mean they are Nomadic. However, we do know from Any Large Well Organized Civilizations that people are utilizing Farming. Especially, when the Tepes have Many Large Areas; Large Limestone Vessels... I'm tired of my Colleagues Bantering without Proper Speculation. I'm not saying you Must say things are True; just Speculation. Seems you will only Speculate on the Ideas you want. 13 Large Mounds(Tepes) Well Organized is not by Hunter Gatherers SMH. PLUS, Most of the Mounds haven't been Fully excavated. So it's Even Much More than we think. Not 12,000 years old fellas. Get over your Invalid Dating Assessments. Toodles Brits.
"Heads on Sticks" was the theme of the Senior Literature class I used to teach. Sometimes "on sticks" was a bit of a stretch, but it worked. Begin with Beowulf (Mum's head hauled to the hall), The Heart of Darkness (obvious), up to The Importance of Being Earnest (Lady B was a figurative taker of heads.) Nothing delights teens as much as a touch of dark humor. :)
Good morning from the drizzly SF Bay Area. Gives a new meaning to "heads up!"
The idea of the heads on stakes being a sign of a barrier beyond which you shall not pass ( 2:20 ) from a 7,500 year old site makes me think of the documentary Into Eternity about the Onkolo nuclear waste site that is designed to last 100,000 years and the question they ask; what type of sign can we make to inform people thousands of years from now that this place is not safe and to stay out? It's a documentary followers of this channel may like because it deals with time over human scale and Earth scale.
I am seeing Heads on Sticks in The Walking Dead. (TWD is my Roman Empire.)
The bear bone connected to the boar bone….
"... whatever you say - it says more about your attitude towards human nature ..."
Wonderful!
"In Norway the heads of corpses were cut off to make their ghosts feeble."
from Yeat's book on Irish folklore
Yaaayyyy!!!! *settles down with coffee in hand and a giant smile on face*
How extremely intriguing!
Great stuff guys!! As always another interesting, stimulating and entertaining video. Love it thank you.
So, you have bones of fishermen and boars, bears and badgers. But no deer or grazers, mainly omnivores and carnivores which are territorial. And the artificial island was a well defined territory in a lake. And one men of the skulls-on-a-stick clearly had been fighting to conquer or defend something. A possible explanation would be that a fishing community used the island to bring rare Meat offerings to watergods and at the same time signal that these waters were theirs.
Hunter gatherers settled in Scandinavia as soon as the ice retreated. They arrived in boats and were fishing but especially hunting seals. So it is an important area in the discussion about how long ago people managed to be seafaring and move around over the waters. Gradually people settled in and started hunting more on land but that coastal lifestyle stayed important. It leads researchers to remark how boats must have been around even during the upper paleolithic. Because we have the same evidence increasingly that Magdalenian and Solutrean people in France and Spain were out on the ocean already from 25 thousand years ago or longer.
And this provides evidence for the Solutrean Hypothesis as well. The fishing and sealhunting began at sites such as La Riera or Nerja. As far as we can tell because sea level rise has hidden other coastal evidence.
Ahhh the good ol’ days.
THANK YOU , SHARE, SHARE
Nuts? Hazelnuts? Hazelnuts were a staple diet of the Mesolithic, and actually cultivated in Mesolithic forest gardening...
Hazel were coppiced for centuries as well. Used for wattle and daub.
i study the upper paleolithic and hazelnuts were an important thing for those people too. Hazelnuts must have been used by the Neanderthals even as well. (and other nuts) Imagine what a great food source those nuts are. I used to collect them in the wild myself and they stay edible for a few years. What a great source of food when other food perishes so quickly.
Imagine a prehistoric person 20-30 thousand years ago trying to survive collecting nuts and thinking....this is my food. I can rely on this as my food. I can make a stash and know they will be there....that is worth so much to a hunter-gatherer trying to survive.
@@forestdweller5581 they were also roasted in big amounts in the Mesolithic
Great video! Just one thing, we spell Kanaljorden with an "e" at the end there, not an "a". 😊
Just about my favorite thumbnail screen ever.
Interesting find. Thanks for sharing!
A second paper was just released! It focuses on the context of the area through reconstruction of artificial landforms and artifacts and it is now known the artificial island was the site of an ancient brewery, requiring the need for large amounts of water.
Interesting that the diet of the bodies found consisted of fish, nuts and berries - and not boar, bear and other remains found at the site. It looks like these victims did not share on the consumption of boar or bear, despite the butchery marks.
These mammals frequently feature as powerful totems or spirits in later shamanic rituals; we know that boars and bears were culturally and spiritually important in later Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Iron Age (and even into the Viking times) cultures throughout Eurasia. There was probably some spiritual significance to the animal remains; they were not the result of a funeral feast but specifically chosen and sacrificed for symbolic reasons.
Makes you wonder if there was a religious rule against eating land mammals , perhaps they were reserved for the gods
My thoughts exactly 😊
The thumbnail photo with text made this Norske from Minnesota, USA laugh. Very interesting. Subtext of humor appreciated.
It's not a commonly discussed phenomenon that concussions and minor brain injuries can lead to spiritual and metaphysical experiences. The fact that these individuals were chosen and that each had specific cranial injury suggests to me that there could be a correlation between the injuries, their medical and psychological effects, and their relationship to spirituality and the spiritual cultural beliefs of the people. Given the nature of the injuries, that the injuries were survived and that they differ between male and female subjects combined with their having been very intentionally placed in the way described, and the physical location chosen suggests to me the possibility that the location and placement was dedicated to particular individuals who were either accidentally or intentionally injured in order to be spiritual guides. * The infant skull is an exception in being without injuries, and yet said infant or child could have had some other medical or psychological predisposition toward qualifying as spiritual or more open. I have some education in archeology but a significant amount of experience in the academic study of the relationship between brain injury/ concussions and spiritual or metaphysical experiences. So this informed surmise. Surmise nonetheless, and my projection based on singular and subjective views very certainly.
Head injuries often cause personality changes. A common one is increase in irrational violence. Famously the murderous Henry Vlll was unconscious for 3 days after the jousting session when his leg was badly injured. Some have suggested that the previously pleasant young man suffered such a change. Though others poo poo the idea.
@helenamcginty4920 It isn't uncommon, but anger and violence are too often associated with head trauma and brain injury. The truth is that personality changes, which are more positive or spiritual, are often overlooked specifically because they are not anger and violence. Our society brings attention to anger and violence as a symptom of TBI because we fear it and because it negatively impacts others. It's also more easily evidenced. Whereas positive changes, synestesia, and spiritual or metaphysical experiences are less outwardly harmful and obvious. They also conflict with a very either religious or static view of reality.
Sariah, I appriciate your thoughts. Keep sharing ❤✌️
Can we completely dismiss trepanation? In the case of trepanning it might be that they could be considered special because they were thought to have once been a vessel of a spirit or whatever. Having or retaining a hole could mean that they were now open to receive other spirits?
If we can dismiss trepanation, perhaps their injury had made them disabled in some way and were just good subjects for human sacrifice, not quite able to contribute to society but still "valuable" in terms of gifts to the gods. The bear and boar were probably seen as impressive offerings, which makes me think it was a place for special offerings.
I couldn't help envision the opening scene from Gladiator, when the barbarian walks out of the woods with a head in his hands, then tosses it in front of him screaming something in old Scandinavian.
Fisher-gatherers, interesting burial.
Maybe these adult skulls belonged to tribal heroes
Would liked to hear more from your guest.
At first glance, I thought Michael had dreadlocks...
One is a relative on my fathers side... WHG..
I wish for more pictures!
In some mythologies water is gate to the afterlife. In bear cult-to which those bear bones point to-bear skulls are placed on top of the sticks or hang to the trees to guide the bear's soul to the afterlife (Ursa Major): "Joseph Campbell - Cave Bears and the Birth of Mythology".
A Pirate Island?
Bear , Boar , Badger , all fierce animlas , the deer if a stag could also be seen as a fierce animal ? intresting , jaws missing from the animals and human ? so that may suggest they are seen as the same , fierce ?
pre-historic crumpets a'plenty!
The fact that there is evidence of healing of the skulls subsequent to the blunt force trauma would discount the site as being due to sacrifice or execution, therefore not the same as the famous "bog bodies". Perhaps these people had suffered injuries while defending a village, and later died, and were buried together as a memorial to their deeds. While there were certainly female warriors in the past, not all cultures had them. Perhaps the men were injured while fighting, and the women while attempting to take cover or escape. All speculation of course, but that scenario would align with the position of the injuries. Fish being a major part of the diet for those people makes sense. It's still the same for modern inhabitants of Scandinavia.
But the animal offerings weren't ducks or deer, they were bear and boar - both seen as powerful animals since they are ferocious and dangerous. I think the collection of animals is a significant marker of a place of special offerings.
Baton Rouge if they were ochre. Like the namesake in Louisiana.
Could the animal bones been placed as offerings while still in the form of butchered pieces of animal? The collocated pieces of meat would then decay leaving behind a random scattering of bone. Further movement of the bones could occur via transport from scavengers or wave movement. Just a theory.
Too bad we can’t go back in time and ask “ so, like, why did you put those peoples heads on sticks?” Because the answer could be very involved and far stranger than we, in our modern life, can imagine.
How do you guys get full access to these sites?
I can imagine there being some protection/security so John Doe stays out.
Do you just muscle and bully your way in? 😄
Years of developing relationships with the archaeological community, doing things by the book and acquiring the correct permissions from the authorities for filming - certainly in the case of Göbekli Tepe and other big sites. We are so grateful for the trust that has been put in us and the experiences we have had and we hope through this we are sharing a first-hand experience that more people can enjoy.
@@ThePrehistoryGuys Thank you for your answer. And I do enjoy.
Must have watched “standing with stones” at least four times by now.
Please, let your guess speak!
Great content again guys, we do miss you while you're off on your adventures! Lots of food for thought here, although it's pretty obvious that man's inhumanity to both women and other men can't really be questioned, even today. It's nice to know there are some good guys out there.
@roxiepoe9586, thanks for an amazing idea to entertain and enlighten my C2, English Proficiency class! My head is buzzing with ideas!
❤❤
What puzzles me is how come these heads belonged to fish , nuts and berry eaters,when they are surrounded by evidence of meat eating? Were they captured slaves from another, more coastal tribe? Were their heads used as a sort of warning, after they died, or could no longer work? Hmm...you've made my mind boggle!
Archeology 101, never assume that what you are looking at is a representation of X # of years ago. With wars, & layering of Societies, chances are you are far removed from the reality; "(that this was typical life back in the day)!".
the one guy keeps talking over the other very annoying
Yes…you guys need to work on your dialogue and interplay….very annoying video.
75k followers. Must be doing something right. Forr me, the friendship is a big part of the appeal. Just look at the smiles.
Not Fossilized? Hehe
Why should we subscribe to your channel when you Really aren't Questioning Anything? You just give Some of the research from the 'Papers' you read? We can do that too.
In regard to Gobekli Tepe n other Tepes, we Know Hunter Gatherers doesn't mean they are Nomadic. However, we do know from Any Large Well Organized Civilizations that people are utilizing Farming. Especially, when the Tepes have Many Large Areas; Large Limestone Vessels...
I'm tired of my Colleagues Bantering without Proper Speculation. I'm not saying you Must say things are True; just Speculation. Seems you will only Speculate on the Ideas you want. 13 Large Mounds(Tepes) Well Organized is not by Hunter Gatherers SMH. PLUS, Most of the Mounds haven't been Fully excavated. So it's Even Much More than we think.
Not 12,000 years old fellas. Get over your Invalid Dating Assessments.
Toodles Brits.
You ate not funny. Hehe
Wasn't trying to be.
Cheers
@@guyanaspice6730 Honestly a lot of what you said has merit bot you are very condescending. Seems you want confrontation not discussion.
Who are your 'Colleagues'?
@@Mirrorgirl492 new phone who dis?