What Did Early Humans Do For Pleasure?

#pompeii #gilgamesh #humanhistory 🎵 HEAR THE 40,000-YEAR-OLD FLUTE: Ancient life wasn't nonstop survival. Here's what the evidence says early humans did with their free time, from bone flutes and shell beads to board games, play, and even a cared for dog. We also put the famous "original affluent society" claim on trial, including what its critics say it gets wrong. If the links ever break, search the author or paper name listed below. All research and sources are listed below. 🎁 FREE RESOURCE: Reconstructed rules for the Royal Game of Ur, so you can play it yourself: [ADD LINK HERE] 📚 RESEARCH & SOURCES: ▸ Hohle Fels flute: Conard, Malina & Münzel, "New flutes document the earliest musical tradition in southwestern Germany," Nature 460, 737 to 740 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08169 ▸ Geissenklösterle flute dating: Higham et al. (2012), Journal of Human Evolution. ▸ Bizmoune Cave shell beads: Sehasseh et al., "Early Middle Stone Age personal ornaments from Bizmoune Cave, Essaouira, Morocco," Science Advances 7(39) (2021). ▸ Royal Game of Ur: Excavated by Leonard Woolley, Royal Cemetery at Ur (1922 to 1934). Rules reconstructed by Irving Finkel, "On the Rules for the Royal Game of Ur," in Ancient Board Games in Perspective (British Museum Press, 2007). The rules tablet dates to about 177 BC. ▸ Richard Lee: "What Hunters Do for a Living, or, How to Make Out on Scarce Resources," in Man the Hunter (Aldine, 1968), and The !Kung San: Men, Women and Work in a Foraging Society (Cambridge University Press, 1979). ▸ Marshall Sahlins: "The Original Affluent Society," in Stone Age Economics (Aldine, 1972). ▸ Critique: David Kaplan, "The Darker Side of the 'Original Affluent Society,'" Journal of Anthropological Research (2000). ▸ Hadza time allocation: Kristen Hawkes, James O'Connell and Nicholas Blurton Jones (multiple studies, 1989 to 2014). ▸ Peter Gray, "Play as a Foundation for Hunter-Gatherer Social Existence," American Journal of Play 1(4), 476 to 522 (2009). ▸ Scott Wiltermuth and Chip Heath, "Synchrony and Cooperation," Psychological Science 20(1), 1 to 5 (2009). ▸ Bonn-Oberkassel dog burial: Luc Janssens et al. (2018), Journal of Archaeological Science. ———————————————————— Time stamps 00:00 The Number That Challenged a Myth 00:48 The 40,000 Year Old Vulture Bone Flute 02:56 Shell Beads Older Than Any Flute 03:28 The Royal Game of Ur 04:40 Counting Free Time: Richard Lee's Study 06:08 Three Problems With the Famous Number 08:32 Why Did People Make Time for Play? 10:48 The Dog That Was Cared For 11:52 The Verdict PEOPLE & SITES MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO: ▸ Richard Lee: Anthropologist who counted the working hours of the !Kung (Ju/'hoansi) in Botswana in 1963 and 1964. ▸ Marshall Sahlins: Anthropologist who called foragers "the original affluent society." ▸ David Kaplan: Anthropologist who critiqued that idea in 2000. ▸ Nicholas Conard: Archaeologist who led the excavation of the Hohle Fels flute in 2008. ▸ Hohle Fels and Geissenklösterle: Caves in southwestern Germany where some of the oldest known flutes were found. ▸ Bizmoune Cave: Morocco. Home to shell beads dated to at least 142,000 years ago. ▸ Leonard Woolley: Excavated the Royal Cemetery at Ur, where game boards inlaid with shell and lapis lazuli were found. ▸ Irving Finkel: British Museum curator who reconstructed the rules of the Royal Game of Ur. ▸ Kristen Hawkes, James O'Connell, Nicholas Blurton Jones: Researchers who studied how Hadza men spend their days in Tanzania. ▸ Peter Gray: Psychologist who studied play across foraging societies. ▸ Scott Wiltermuth and Chip Heath: Psychologists who tested how moving in sync affects cooperation. ▸ Luc Janssens: Veterinarian who reexamined the 14,000 year old dog from the Bonn-Oberkassel burial. #AncientHistory #Anthropology #Prehistory