Artifact dates intelligence of man back 32,500 to 38,800 years
The oldest image of a star pattern
The oldest image of a star pattern, that of the famous constellation of Orion, has been recognised on an ivory tablet some 32,500 years old.
The tiny sliver of mammoth tusk contains a carving of a man-like figure with arms and legs outstretched in the same pose as the stars of Orion.
The claim is made by Dr Michael Rappenglueck, formerly of the University of Munich who is already renowned for his pioneering work locating star charts
painted on the walls of prehistoric caves.
The tablet also contains mysterious notches, carved on its sides and on its back. These could be a primitive "pregnancy" calendar, designed to estimate
when a pregnant woman will give birth.
Man-like figure
It was found in 1979 in a cave in the Ach valley in the Alb-Danube region of Germany. Carbon dating of bone ash deposits found next to it suggest it is
between 32,500 and 38,000 year old making it one of the oldest representations of a man ever found.
It was left behind by the mysterious Aurignacian people about whom we know next to nothing save that they moved into Europe from the east supplanting the
indigenous Neanderthals.
The ivory tablet is small, measuring only 38 x 14 x 4 mm, but from the notches carved into its edges archaeologists believe that it was made that size and is
not a fragment of something bigger.
On one side of the tablet is the man-like being with his legs apart and arms raised. Between his legs hangs what could be a sword and his waist is narrow. His
left leg is shorter than his right one.
From what is speculated about the myths of these ancient peoples before the dawn of history, archaeologists have suggested that the man-like figure could
be praying or dancing, or be a half-man, half-cat, or a divine being.
But Michael Rappenglueck thinks it is a drawing of the constellation of Orion that is nowadays, and was perhaps also 32,000 years ago, called the hunter.
The proportions of the man correspond to the pattern of stars that comprise Orion, especially its slim waist corresponding to its famous belt of three stars and
the left "leg" of the constellation being shorter.
The "sword" on the ivory tablet also corresponds to a famous and well-know feature that can be seen in Orion.
There are also other indications that Dr Rappenglueck may be correct.
The stars were in slightly different positions 32,000 years ago because they are moving across the sky at different speeds and in different directions, a
phenomenon called "proper motion".
Dr Rappenglueck allowed for this effect by using a computer program to wind back the sky and found evidence for a particular star in Orion that was in a
different place 32,000 years ago.
Human gestation period
The tablet may also be a pregnancy calendar.
There are 86 notches on the tablet, a number that has two special meanings.
Firstly it is number of days that must be subtracted from a year to equal the average number of days of a human gestation. This is no coincidence says Dr
Rappenglueck.
It is also the number of days that one of Orion's two prominent stars, Betelguese, is visible. To ancient man this might have linked human fertility with the gods
in the sky.
Orion is one of the most striking constellations in the sky. The Ancient Egyptians identified it with their god Osiris and it has a special significant for many
cultures throughout history throughout the world.
Now it seems that that we have inherited Orion the hunter from our distant origins, from ancient man more than 32,000 years ago.
Source:BBC
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