Profound Quote from Will Hunt
Intelligence and Humanity of Early Man
Recently I posted a comment on Heritage Key, my favorite history website. The article was about the discovery of hundreds of eggshell fragments decorated with geometric patterns by stone age hunter-gatherers in Africa. If you haven't heard about this, I would advise you to read the article. This one is much better than the article on Discovery News.
http://heritage-key.com/blogs/willhunt/ostrich-egg-shells-discovered-south-africa-could-be-earliest-evidence-human-language#comment-2445. “Ostrich Egg Shells Discovered in South Africa Could be Earliest Evidence of Human Language”. Heritage Key. Will Hunt.
This was what I commented (I've included this strictly for context, you can skip down to the quote if you want): "I read about this find in Discovery News and must say that this article is much better and more enjoyable than the Discovery one. I would like to thank the author for pointing out the possibility that the designs could have been intended to indicate the ingredients of the canteen, a connection which I failed to make when reading the Discovery article. And perhaps the designs did have such meanings. It does seem strange to me, however, that geometric designs and patterns could have been used to communicate meanings the same way we use written words today. I will keep open the possibility that the designs could have simply been decoration. And, call me crazy if you will, but from my viewpoint archaeology seems to be showing more and more that man has been intelligent and "human" from the beginning. Just look at Neanderthal, once considered a savage brute, but whom we now know wore jewelry, lived in tents, cared for their sick, played musical instruments, and showed other signs of intelligent culture. Things are not always what they first may appear."
In reply the author, Will Hunt, made a profound statement on the archaeology of ancient man.
"Today, we shake our heads at the way people a hundred years ago viewed ancient man; I wonder if a hundred years from now, people will shake their heads at our ignorance." – Will Hunt
