A long history for an ancient people

[MoreCoffee]

Australian natives have the oldest continuous culture in the world. Their history stretches back 40,000 to 60,000 years. That's about ten time more ancient than ancient Egypt. It is a history worth hearing and seeing. Here is a video about them and their very ancient culture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTJG8AJ_tDs

 

[Lamb]

I thought Iraq had the longest history? Isn't that where it's suspected to have the Garden of Eden (Persia)?

 

[MoreCoffee]

I thought Iraq had the longest history? Isn't that where it's suspected to have the Garden of Eden (Persia)?

Were they there 60,000 years ago?

 

[Lamb]

Were they there 60,000 years ago?

Were they not? I'm not that old LOL

 

[MoreCoffee]

Were they not? I'm not that old LOL

Maybe google can give an answer - provided that the search is done in google scholar.

 

[Josiah]

All societies go WAY back.... indeed, to the Garden.

What is curious to me is why SOME societies just get "stuck" (perhaps for thousands of years) and stop developing. I have not taken even one class in cultural anthropology and so it would be profoundly foolish of me to even speculate as to why that happens. But from a couple of TV things I've watched, what MAY be a factor is survival..... societies that remain very small (in terms of population) and are only able to subsist, that are satisfied with how things are (their food, shelter, etc. are "good enough"), those societies have nothing forcing change.... and societies tend to remain at rest until something acts on them. It's when societies are actually successful and thus population grows ( and thus people get hungry) ... only when societies are forced to do new things (say, get more water or learn new agricultural methods or domesticate a new animal or even move to a new location), it's only then (largely out of necessity from being successful) that change happens. Makes sense. But again, I personally have no training in cultural anthropology. Where is one when you need one?



- Josiah

 

[JRT]

All societies go WAY back.... indeed, to the Garden.

What is curious to me is why SOME societies just get "stuck" (perhaps for thousands of years) and stop developing. I have not taken even one class in cultural anthropology and so it would be profoundly foolish of me to even speculate as to why that happens. But from a couple of TV things I've watched, what MAY be a factor is survival..... societies that remain very small (in terms of population) and are only able to subsist, that are satisfied with how things are (their food, shelter, etc. are "good enough"), those societies have nothing forcing change.... and societies tend to remain at rest until something acts on them. It's when societies are actually successful and thus population grows ( and thus people get hungry) ... only when societies are forced to do new things (say, get more water or learn new agricultural methods or domesticate a new animal or even move to a new location), it's only then (largely out of necessity from being successful) that change happens. Makes sense. But again, I personally have no training in cultural anthropology. Where is one when you need one?



- Josiah

A very good book that answers many of your questions and speaks to some of your observations is "Guns, Germs and Steel" by Jared Diamond.