What Did Ancient Humans Actually Do When They Were Bored?

#ancienthumans #prehistory #evolution What Did Ancient Humans Actually Do When They Were Bored? All research and sources are linked below. 📚 RESEARCH & SOURCES: ▸ The psychology of boredom & electric shocks — Timothy Wilson et al. (2014, Science 345:75–77), "Just think: The challenges of the disengaged mind." ▸ The 15–20 hour work week in hunter-gatherers — Richard B. Lee (1968, Man the Hunter), "What hunters do for a living, or, how to make out on scarce resources." ▸ The Original Affluent Society — Marshall Sahlins (1972, Stone Age Economics). ▸ 1-million-year-old fire evidence — Francesco Berna et al. (2012, PNAS 109:E1215–E1220), Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa. ▸ Nighttime firelight storytelling — Polly Wiessner (2014, PNAS 111:14027–14035), "Embers of society: Firelight talk among hunter-gatherers." ▸ Oldest abstract drawing (73,000 years) — Christopher S. Henshilwood et al. (2018, Nature 562:115–118), Blombos Cave ochre crosshatch. ▸ 75,000-year-old shell beads — Christopher S. Henshilwood et al. (2004, Science 304:404), Blombos Cave Nassarius kraussianus beads. ▸ Neanderthal rock engraving — Joaquín Rodríguez-Vidal et al. (2014, PNAS 111:13301–13306), Gorham’s Cave, Gibraltar. ▸ 35,000-year-old bone flute — Nicholas J. Conard et al. (2009, Nature 460:737–740), Hohle Fels cave, southwestern Germany. ▸ The 40,000-year-old Lion-Man (Löwenmensch) — Hohlenstein-Stadel mammoth ivory carving. ▸ Rules of the Royal Game of Ur — Irving Finkel (1990), translating Babylonian scribe Itti-Marduk-balāṭu’s 177 BCE tablet (BM 33333B). ▸ Hunter-gatherer childhood play — Peter Gray (2009, American Journal of Play 1:476–512). ▸ Chauvet Cave child footprints & torch marks (~26,000 years ago) — Garcia et al. (2001) and ongoing Chauvet Pont-d’Arc speleological surveys. ———————————————————— ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - The Waiting Room & The Shock Button 01:15 - The 15-Hour Prehistoric Work Week 02:45 - The Fireplace: Humanity's First Television 04:10 - Restless Hands: 73,000-Year-Old Doodles 05:35 - Carving Flutes & The 400-Hour Lion-Man 07:00 - 4,600 Years of Board Games 08:20 - The Child with the Torch in Chauvet Cave 09:40 - Why Boredom Built Human Civilization ———————————————————— 🎨 Animation & Narration by Primal Wire ———————————————————— #ancienthumans #prehistory #evolution #boredom #anthropology #archaeology #caveart #stoneage #hohlefels #gameofur #primalwire #inkexplainer