Bärenkult in urgeschichtlicher Zeit
Up to now anthropologists have taken for granted that a bear cult, which is common in recent hunting communities, was already practised in the middle Palaeolithic period. The current hypothesis of the existence of an ancient bear cult is based partly on discoveries, but mainly on ethnographic analog...
| Published in: | Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | German |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Diagonal-Verlag
2012
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| In: |
Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft
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| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | Up to now anthropologists have taken for granted that a bear cult, which is common in recent hunting communities, was already practised in the middle Palaeolithic period. The current hypothesis of the existence of an ancient bear cult is based partly on discoveries, but mainly on ethnographic analogies. However, the discussion of religious customs among recent hunter-gatherers proves that what remains of the practice of their cult differs markedly from the fossil remains found in the Mousterien bear caves. An examination of the fossil bone formations from a palaeontological point of view makes clear that supposed ancient bear cult sites are bone beds of natural origin. The characteristic appearance of the sites is a result of the activities of the bears themselves and of geological and sedimentary processes. |
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| ISSN: | 2194-508X |
| Contains: | In: Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1515/0030.3 |