Religion In Anthropology

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Archaeological Anthropology

Question 1: First Appearances of Religion When we think of religion, we often are reminded or churches or temples, morality, and an all-powerful, all-knowing, and benevolent being often referred to as a God, Goddess, or in some forms of recent religions, multitudes of the formers. As cited by the Oxford Dictionary there is one common definition of religion which is the “The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.” Subsequently, this is the most prominent idea when we think about religion. On the contrary, there is a definition which explains religion as “ A pursuit or interest followed with great devotion.” which may refer to an older and less thought of form
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This theory suggests that the rise of complex societies began with the band, tribes, chiefdoms, and states. These terms being able to describe a more clear evolution of civilized society in which some had a hierarchical political organization, however, all have the basis of kinship within them. Archaeological evidence would suggest based upon burials of kin buried within the same places and distribution of goods and artifacts among the people of the time that the societies held high favoritism for their kin. This idea of kinship being the very start and basis of complex …show more content…
This theory first came about in the late 19th century and focuses on views such as survival of the fittest and natural selection among people. Consequently, this theory would suggest that due to the high chance of competition, there began an increase in different group sizes as they attempt to rage war-like rivalries with other groups of ancient civilizations. This begins a hierarchy of people in order to control and organize different sets of groups. People seen as better able to compete for resources would become head of these groups and pass upon their preferable genes to their kin which would give rise to society today. The evidence here can be seen in burial sites where a leader of sorts is adorned more luxuriously than “regular” people of these ancient groups. Ancient texts and depictions in drawing and different ceramics depict a worship or appreciation of mortal people assumed to be leaders. You can also see this in evidence of society Social Darwinism in how hierarchical society is run

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