On the Possibility of an ’Astronomical Perspective’ in the Study of Human Evolution‏



On the Possibility of an ’Astronomical Perspective’ in the Study of Human Evolution
 
Elio Antonello 
INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera 
Via E. Bianchi 46, 23807 Merate, Italy 



Abstract 

The ‘Sapient Paradox’ is the apparently 
unexplainable time delay of several ten thousand years 
following the arrival of Homo sapiens in Asia and Europe 
and before the introduction of impressive innovations 
with the agricultural revolution. 

Renfrew (2007) has suggested 
that the solution of the paradox has to do 
with changes in modes of thought 
that occurred with sedentism. 

According to Renfrew, 
this is a subject of study 
for cognitive archaeology 
where the final goal would be 
to understand the formation 
of the human mind. 

Several scholars, however, 
affirm that climatic change 
was crucial to such a revolution 
as it would have been very difficult 
to develop agriculture 
during the Palaeolithic. 

In other words, 
sedentism was not justified 
during the ice age, 
and that may 
be the solution to the paradox. 

It is widely accepted 
that climate variations 
were due to so-called 
orbital forcing, 
the slow periodic changes 
of orbital parameters of the Earth 
(known also as the Milankovitch theory). 

These and other astronomical effects 
on the climate are discussed along with 
the consequent impact on human evolution. 

The question then rises as to whether or not 
it is possible to adopt an ‘astronomical’ perspective 
instead of (or complementary to) 
the ‘cognitive archaeological’ one. 

Such would be possible by adopting 
a different point of reference 
(that is, from ‘outside’), 
and a non-anthropocentric approach.

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