Paleoanthropology, the study of ancient humans, continually revises our understanding of what makes Homo sapiens unique. Initially, the faculty of ‘language’ was thought to be exclusive to modern humans. This view expanded to include Neanderthals as new evidence came to light. Now, even Homo erectus, our ancient ancestor, is considered to have had this capacity. […]
anthropology
The dark side of birthdays
Birthdays have not always been the light-hearted affairs we know today. Tracing back to ancient civilizations, such as the Greeks and Egyptians, significant days like these were often marked by rituals of appeasement towards gods or evil spirits. These practices, viewed through a psychoanalytic lens, reveal a societal struggle with themes of power, innocence, and […]
Freud upside down
In ‘Civilization and Its Discontents,’ Sigmund Freud presents a common view of human nature: ‘Homo homini lupus’ (man is a wolf to man). Civilization, according to Freud, works tirelessly to curb our aggressive instincts through love, sexual repression, and moral ideals, albeit with limited success. The issue arises when considering the agents of civilisation – […]
Who Domesticated Humans?
I’ve long entertained the following hypothesis about the origin of our species: millions of years ago, an ape began to take an active interest in its offspring. Children became a resource. Mothers and others favoured docile, educable young who would stay close and could be shaped into reproductive allies. Human consciousness likely co-evolved with this […]
On Anthropology (I)
Sapiens is a digital magazine whose mission is to bring anthropology to the public. It has a pop-up window that asks you whether you are ‘a human’ and would like to subscribe, otherwise you are ‘not a human’. I found it funny and witty, but also odd.