religion has been around for a very long time when most people think of early religion they think of ancient religion such as Judaism the religion of the ancient Egyptians and also the religion of the Mayans however religious belief and spirituality has a much longer history than that the origins of religion date back to prehistoric times that is before human beings began writing we have evidence showing religious practices taking place as early is 60,000 BCE so it begs the question where did religion start why did it start what did it look like and why were human beings partaking in religion this video is a deep dive into the origins of religion and why human beings have been partaking in religious Behavior you're watching all things [Music] Humanities around 85% of people in the world identify with a religion that's almost 8 billion people in the world today of course religion has changed over time with Islam now being the fastest strong religion and Christianity being the largest religion at the moment for the most part religious belief is believing in and worshiping a supernatural power especially a God or in some cases a series of gods the origins of religion are complex and our understanding can change when presented with new evidence so when it comes to investigating this topic we can only make assumptions about the evidence that's in front of us but with that in mind let's examine what the earliest evidence for religious belief is from what we know our earliest evidence is from the Paleolithic period which is around 50,000 years ago Paleolithic also known as the old stone age was a time in human history where tools were first used the Paleolithic period began around 2.6 million years ago and ended around 10,000 years ago while some speculative evidence exists from earlier periods the upper Paleolithic period provides the first clear and widely accepted good signs of religious practices the first bit of evidence is burial practices burial practices are considered evidence for religious belief because they indicate a belief in an afterlife in these Paleolithic burials we see that human beings were buried with tools animal parts and even ornaments a noteworthy burial is the sunir grave in Russia which is about 30,000 years old the S gear burial site contains several elaborate Graves with some truly amazing content in the first grave archaeologist found an adult male burial with roughly 3,000 mammoth ivory beads covering the body mammoth ivory beads were made by breaking Mammoth tusks into segments cutting them into little balls or rectangles and then drilling holes in the center with a stone drill the grave also contained pierced Fox canines Ivory armbands red ochre covering the head in the upper throat and a beaded cap on the head of the deceased in the second grave at sunar AR olist discovered two adolescents in a burial with around 5,000 mammoth ivory beads for one of them and 5,400 for the other the burial also included 16 mammoth ivory Spears the burial contained Fox canines as well that were used to create a belt for one of the people in the grave alongside Ivory discs pierced deer antlers and a large Mammoth carving it is more than likely that the sunar grave burials contain personal and religious importance and perhaps the humans at this time believed that they would take these possessions to the afterlife some explanations suggest that the grave Goods may have indicated the individual's importance or role in their society as well many archaeologists and anthropologists think that these decorated burials suggest that some individuals held a special social status burials with Goods also indicate the development of funery rituals and a growing awareness of the importance of one's death some researchers seem to think that burials may have served as property Deeds marking territory for different groups bearing belongings with the deceased may have been a way for the living to cope with loss and maintain a connection with their loved ones this really shouldn't surprise us because humans in the modern world do this now when grieving for someone that they have recently lost nevertheless these burials at sui also show that red Oka was frequently used Oka is a natural pigment that comes from clay based Rock and it can vary in color in these Graves there there is an extensive use of ochar which was used to cover the heads Trunks and upper arms of the deceased and it's more than likely that they held ritual significance this red color may have also symbolized Life Death Or spiritual transformation hinting at early religious behavior in Paleolithic Europe artworks are our next best evidence for religious practices many Paleolithic cave artworks feature representations that may reflect spiritual beliefs for example we can look at the Venus figurines as some of our best evidence for the earliest human religious practices the Venus figurines are small prehistoric statuettes from the upper Paleolithic Era and they depict women with exaggerated physical features these artifacts dating from approximately 40,000 to 10,000 years ago have been found across Europe and parts of Asia with more than 200 different examples identified the Venus figurines indicate a connection to fertility and possibly shamanistic practices these artistic expression suggests that human beings were cognitively capable of abstract thought and also spiritual representation that being said the significance of Venus figurines has been widely debated among Scholars and we cannot be sure whether they were for religion alone many interpretations suggest that these figurines represent fertility and motherhood and possibly they served as talismans for protection during pregnancy and child birth the exaggerated feminine features May symbolize a ideal form of female Beauty which is associated with reproductive capability the Venus figurines may also depict a deity associated with creation and nature moreover the figurines might have been worn to safeguard women during pregnancy and child birth this assumes that Paleolithic people believed in the Supernatural and thought that deities could intervene in reproductive processes given the widespread distribution of Venus figurines from Europe to Asia it is likely that these figurines held various meanings across different cultures and contexts some theories even suggest that they could represent dolls or portraits rather than strictly being religious or acting as fertility symbols it's important to acknowledge that cave paintings are also some of our earliest evidence for religious practices cave paintings are considered one of the earliest expressions of the human appreciation for beauty and also the representation of sacred aspects of Life One prominent Theory suggests that cave paintings were created by pale lithic shamans according to this view shamans would enter caves and reach trans States and they would then paint images of their Visions on the walls moreover the act of painting may have been seen as drawing power from the cave itself this idea is based on ethnographic studies of hunter gatherer societies and supports the idea that cave paintings have spiritual significance another great example of this is paintings found in the lower peak of Canyon lands on the the Texas Mexico border with anthropomorphic figures believed to depict sharman's recording trans experiences analysis of European cave paintings from this same Paleolithic Era reveals similarities with Neolithic artifacts from the near East this suggests that animal depictions were not merely decorative or representational but rather the paintings reflected a religious iconography powerful animals like bison or urox were often depicted despite being dangerous to hunt even in France there are some artworks and caves that feature a complex mix of naturalism and abstraction potentially representing early religious iconography another key religious behavior is the creation of religious artifacts The Lion Man also known as the Lan mench is a significant prehistoric Ivory sculpture that dates back approximately 40,000 years it was discovered in the hollandstone stadle cave in Germany and is considered one of the oldest known representations of a the anthrope all that means is a being that is part human and part animal the figurine features the head of a cave lion and a human body standing upright with its arms to its sides and its legs apart suggesting some sort of dynamic posture you might wonder how is this evidence for religious belief well let's take a deeper look linan is considered the oldest known evidence for religious belief in the world and it's likely that it played a crucial role on early spiritual practices its careful placement in a cave alongside other artifacts suggests that it was used for ceremonial purposes it may have also been connected to Shamanism because it connects human and animal features in one figurine it suggests that early humans were capable of imagining and understanding entities beyond their physical reality some archaeologists speculate that lion men may have played a shamanistic or totemic role because of its halfman appearance and it could Bridge the gap between humans and animals during Neolithic periods human beings built large religious structures one of the most profound being gockley Tey dating around to 10,000 BCE gockley Tey features large Stone pillars arranged in circles and it's likely that it served as a ceremonial Center for early agrarian societies GOC Tey located in southeast turkey is considered one of the most significant archaeological sites in understanding the origins of religion and human civilization it's often referred to as the world's first temple or Sanctuary which challenges previous theories about the development of religious practices there is evidence that suggests that gock Lee was purely used for religious activities as there were no residential structures to be found nearby also the presence of numerous animal bones indicates that rituals likely included animal sacrifices this also challenges the previously held belief that organized religion only Emer emerged after agricultural societies the construction of gockley Tey required significant social organization and cooperation among these groups of hunted gatherers this suggests that religious motivations may have been a key factor in bringing communities together long before the Advent of Agriculture the side features intricately carved pillars and also depictions of animal and half human half animal figures which some Scholars interpret as representations of deities or Spiritual Beings the sheer scale and complexity of the structures indicate a very profound commitment for these hunter gatherers to promote spiritual practices and communal worship the symbolic arrangement of the pillars of gockley tab is thought to reflect a deep seated belief among its creators the t-shaped pillars May symbolize supernatural beings while the circular layout could represent a cosmic order or connection between the Earthly and divine Realms some interpretations suggest that gockley Tey served as a pilgrimage site where people gathered for richual R and celebrations reinforcing social cohesion through shared religious experiences gcle tee has prompted a re-evaluation of how Scholars understand the evolution of religion it tells us that complex religious beliefs existed among hunter gatherer societies even before agricultural life this finding aligns with interpretations that see early religious centered around animistic beliefs where natural elements and animals were imbued with religious significance the site's burial after its abandonment also raised questions about challenging religious practices over time in summary GOC lii stands as a Monumental Testament to the early existence of human spirituality showing that religion may have played a crucial role in shaping social structures long before agriculture once again it's important to remember that we can only speculate what the purpose of these practices were with the evidence in front of us we may change our minds depending on the discovery of new evidence that's if we find any so why religion why did Neil iic and Paleolithic people engage in these practices the reasons vary these humans used religion to make sense of the world around them animism a common belief during this period attributed Consciousness to natural elements like animals forests mountains and rivers and it helped early humans explain and relate to the forces of nature that they encountered on a daily basis as human beings transition to agricultural societies during the Neolithic period religious beliefs shifted to focus on fertility and growth the worship of a mother goddess figure became prevalent which was associated with the fertility of the land animals and also women the emphasis on fertility was crucial for the survival and prosperity of these agricultural communities religion also provided a framework for understanding and coping with death belief and an afterlife emerged early in human religious development netic societies developed more sophisticated ferary rights including like we saw burying the Dead with food and pottery suggesting a belief in life after death religious practices also help strengthen social bonds within communities the development of shared rituals myths and beliefs promoted social cohesion and group identity this was particularly important as societies became more settled and complex during this time religious rights and acts also gave humans a sense of control over their own environment practices such as rain makinging rituals or ceremonies to control pests provided a feeling of agency in the face of unpredictable Natural Forces this perhaps is a psychological battle as it helped people cope with the uncertainties of their existence as societies became more stable and settled in the Neolithic World ancestor worship became prevalent the practice strengthened ties to the land and reinforced social structures within communities it also provided a sense of continuity and a connection to the past but that brings us to the end of this video on the origins of religion and faith I hope you did enjoy it if you did consider subscribing and liking the video for more content like this