Ancient Religious Beliefs: Prehistoric to 1500 BC - Essay Example

Ancient Religious Beliefs: Prehistoric to 1500 BC Ancient Religious Beliefs: Prehistoric to 1500 BC Religious beliefs are strong beliefs in mystic powers that seemingly control human destiny. This portrays human characteristic in their worship of deity or deities, divine intervention, and the human life and values on which they choose to center their existence. It is, therefore, true to imply that religious beliefs focus on some exclusive ideas that lead to certain behaviors. From the prehistoric times to the Vedic period (around 1500 BC), certain areas of concern have been changing with major religions in the world playing party to different changes. As people evolve from one culture to the other, they have to either assimilate or transform their views and values to fit to those of the indigenous people. This may lead to the adoption of certain values and beliefs that would eventually change the way each religion was when first conceived. Certain beliefs and practices were transformed and were thus instrumental in forming many of the structures and practices that are currently either extinct or still in use. The period from prehistoric to the 1500 BC was an era that saw several changes within the religious beliefs of those that practiced the then present religions. Major world cultural areas adopted these changes based on their communities and their environments as well as their levels of civilization. Though civilization was not evenly spread out, religion still managed to thrive in most of the areas. Veneration of the Dead Many religions in the world still hold on to the belief that the dead continue to exist in the world and have a great influence on the fortune of those still alive. Many religions held the venerations as a way of ensuring their ancestors’ well-being and positive disposition towards those still alive in the world. They would also conduct this as a way of seeking special favors or assistance from their ancestors by begging them to show them what the future holds, or how certain issues can be solved. This was common amongst the native and indigenous religions mainly in the Native America, Middle East, especially India, and in Africa (Dubuisson, 2007). In ancient Egypt, one of the most civilized kingdoms at the time, the pyramids were taken as a symbol of devotion to the dead. To the Egyptians, the use of mummification was invoked by the ideology that the survival of the soul was always connected with the survival of the physical receptacle for the soul. They wanted the dead to enjoy their stay in the next world and also continue practicing the religious rituals even after they depart. They took a great deal of their time decorating and carefully constructing the tombs that their dead would be buried in and mummified to provide the soul with a resting place when they came back to the world (Onunwa, 2010). Those still alive would take most of their time in creating a script for the unprepared souls to help them traverse the Next World successful and allow them to come back in peace and bless their descendants. Though the other African religions did not mummify their dead, they always held them in high esteem and conducted rituals to appease them and seek for guidance on weighty issues that were generally important to not only the family, but also the community as a whole (Atran and Norenzayan, 2004). The ancient Romans on the other hand regarded the dead bodies as polluting the environment and thus cremation was common. Their cities were built within the walls and tombs were constructed outside the walls where ashes were placed after cremation. They carried out the festival of Parentalia as a devotion to the purification, propitiation for the malevolent spirits and veneration of the dead. This was a family affair aimed at honoring the dead where the family would share bread and wine as an offering to the dead at the cemetery and as a meal amongst them (Atran and Norenzayan, 2004). This was also a common trend amongst the Christians, of whom the Romans represented at the time. They respectfully held the veneration of the dead since the persecution of Christians led most of them to hide in the tombs. It is there that some reported witnessing miracles from the bodies of dead Christians. There is also a firm belief that the dead will resurrect in the future which leads them to respect the burial rites and the performance of rituals. Though most were cremated during the Romanic period, the burying of the dead was taken up with a reduction in tombs and the digging of graves for the common people and tombs left to the nobles (King, 2003). Eastern religions firmly believed in this. From the Chinese to the Indians, ancestral veneration was a common scenario. They sought to honor and reminisce the actions of the deceased by paying homage to them after they were dead. Offerings were given during various seasons such as spring and autumn as well as in festivals such as the Ghost festivals. These evolved during the period from prehistoric to the 1500 BC, and each dynasty that took charge of whatever economy came up with new rituals to appease the dead (Atran and Norenzayan, 2004). Animal Worship Animal worship as mainly associated with certain deities across the prehistoric time all through to the 1500 BC. Each religion had a way of describing the animals and the worship evolved for some while others abandoned it completely in the modern civilization. Animal symbolism in ancient European civilizations was a common phenomenon. The Greek, for instance, associated the owl with wisdom. The main attribute that ought to be noted here is that unlike religions where animals were virtually worshipped, ancient Europe likened the animals to deities whom they believed were symbolized by the animals. For instance, Athena, the goddess of wisdom was said to have a certain affiliation with birds and was thus represented often as an owl (Atran and Norenzayan, 2004). The subsequent Christians who emerged after the death of Christ likened Jesus Christ with a lamb and thus, led to the personification of the lamb with the Son of God. Those who hunted in the Celtics were often depicted as being in reverence for animals and offered sacrifices to appease them. One such animal was the bear which had several festivals dedicated in its honor (Walsh, 2000). The sacred bull played a principal role amongst the Middle East religions during the prehistoric times. Animal worship in entirety was also a common feature that was taken as a symbol of religion across many dynasties such as those found in India, China, and most of Mesopotamia. The animals in this were also likened to the gods and worshiped as part of religious rituals to appease the gods and also gain favor, especially in fertility issues and in times of drought (King, 2003). Others such as those found in Thailand worshipped the elephant, specifically the white elephant, as containing the soul of the dead person, hence revered. Animal worship in Africa was very rampant. From Egypt to West Africa and the southerners, the number of animals increased with different communities revering those that existed in the vicinity. A case at hand is the leopard which was revered amongst the Ashanti people where the leopard skin was not supposed to be exposed to view. A stuffed leopard would, however, be worshipped. The goat was worshipped amongst the Egyptians in both goat form and phallic form (Onunwa, 2010). Sheep were also symbols of religious personifications. Serpent worship in the western parts of Africa was common and to these communities, the killing of snakes amounted to grave danger and fines. Snakes were holy and not in any way related to evil. Matriarchal Religion Every religion has some semblance of matriarchal religion. In Europe, the roots of original female-oriented religion are said to have disappeared during the early Stone Age. From then on, patriarchal attributes were born and endure to the present. The great goddess was a symbol of fertility both in the agricultural aspects and the human race. It is during the Stone Age period that tools were found in tombs of elite males and the women ideally forgotten or sidelined to give rise to a patriarchal society (Atran and Norenzayan, 2004). This also brought with it changes in the way activities took place in ancient Europe, with axes used for clearing forests now becoming weapons of war. Horses were venerated as some of the totem animals of the goddess, but this changed as they were used as a sign of heroism amongst the warriors. The roots of matriarchal religion in Africa were mainly in the western part of Africa where vodoun and other such religions existed and solely paid tribute to the women. They spread throughout Egypt and East Africa and religion was centered on goddesses. The goddesses were also portrayed as being closer to nature and were thus treated with much respect (Onunwa, 2010). They were christened the goddess of fertility, the goddesses of the sun and the goddess of beauty as a way of paying tribute to nature. However, with time, the patriarchal dominance changed the whole scenario and the gods became more prevalent just as was the case in European history. In India, the evidence that there existed a female-dominated society and religion is mainly portrayed through the numerous female statuettes which are commonly referred to as Venus figurines throughout their temples. Women were considered pious and were exemplified under all means through sculptures, artwork, carvings and even rituals (Atran and Norenzayan, 2004). This is to show just how the female deities were supreme and to-date still bear much influence in the lives of the Indian people. Goddesses such as Shiva and Astarte are still relevant in Indian religious systems. They are still feminine-centered in their religion. Universality The previous religions all portray a sense of universality in the way they perform their activities. Certain things were common to all religions in the past and this has continued to dominate till now. Aspects such as symbols are common in all religions, with the Africans exemplifying the use of lions or horned animals as a way of denoting the supremacy of their deity (Dubuisson, 2007). The Indians also had certain carvings that represented the deity and are still in use as a show of their reverence to their gods. They still worship and pour incense as a way of showing their adoration. In Europe, and mostly the Roman ages, art was considered an easy way of communicating ideas between the dead and the living. It was an abstract method of gaining access to the thoughts of the supernatural through imagination (Atran and Norenzayan, 2004). Symbolism was also portrayed along the lines of the surroundings. Those who had earlier attempts at agriculture, especially in the near east and Mesopotamia in particular, used farm products as a way of getting a connection between them and the deity. The assemblage of tools in the Neolithic era saw the industrial specialization aligned to religious outfits (Walsh, 2000). Hunting and gathering also created a unifying factor amongst those involved. This was a clear indication that religion was mainly based on the attributes surrounding human beings as this was similar to the happenings in Africa. The Bushmen in Kalahari were hunters and gatherers who held in high esteem their gods and the wildlife as a whole. The Egyptians were a civilized lot and exemplified all that was amongst them to create a religion that was followed and imitated by many societies later on (Onunwa, 2010). The North African communities also centered on creating a society that portrayed their social status and relied heavily on the middle east and Mediterranean societies for their religious symbolism. They were influenced by the Middle Eastern communities and the subsequent civilization of Egypt. Conclusion As witnessed, communities were quick to adapt to new trends throughout their maturity period. From the prehistoric to the 1500 BC saw a whole lot of changes as communities sought to adapt to new trends in their religious semblance. Communities sought to align themselves to their surroundings, occasionally borrowing from those who migrated to their areas. Indigenous practices that characterized the communities from the prehistoric times were slowly replaced throughout the different revolutions, and this affected the way the communities viewed religions. Very few cultures presently subscribe to their indigenous practices, though most have modified them to fit with their current level of sophistication. References Atran, S., & Norenzayan, A. (2004). Religions Evolutionary Landscape. The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 27(6): 713–30. Dubuisson, D. (2007). "Exporting the Local: Recent Perspectives on Religion as a Cultural Category", Religion Compass, 1(6):792-805. King, C. (Oct 2003). The Organization of Roman Religious Beliefs. Classical Antiquity,22(2): 275-312. Marshall, P. (July 2009). Redefining the English Reformation. Journal of British Studies, 48(3): 564–586. Onunwa, U. R. (2010). A handbook of african religion and culture. Lagos, Nigeria: Dorrance Publishing. Walsh, D. (Sep 2000). Messianic Revolution: Radical Religious Politics to the End of the Second Millennium / Apocalypses: Prophecies, Cults, and Millennial Beliefs through the Ages. The American Political Science Review,94(3): 709-710. Read More