Bone Flute
1,600 Generations Ago The oldest undisputed musical instrument is the Hohle Fels Flute discovered in the Hohle Fels cave in Germany’s Swabian Alb in 2008. The flute is made from a vulture’s wing bone perforated with five finger holes.
Philosophy
Natural philosophy includes dividing ideas into empirical, rational, and irrational as well as understanding their philosophical context. Philosophical context includes understanding the timing of discoveries and rediscoveries as well as the philosophers behind them and their publications.
Rigveda Samhita, Veda Book 1 of 4
The Rigveda, Sanskrit for “praise knowledge”, is a collection of sacred texts of Hinduism first written down between 1700 and 1100 BCE. The sounds and texts of Rigveda have been orally transmitted since at least circa 2000 BCE. It discusses cosmology, praises deities, and covers philosophical questions including… 1.164.34: “What is the ultimate limit of
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Venus of Hohle Fels
The Venus of Hohle Fels is a 2.4″ figurine made of wooly mammoth ivory that was unearthed in 2008 in Hohle Fels, a cave near Schelklingen, Germany. It was pieced together from six pieces found in a cluster, about 10 feet below ground, and about 60 feet from the cave entrance. The left arm and
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Earliest Known Prepared Burial, “Mtoto”
By 76,000 BCE our cognitive ability meets emotional intelligence. Is this when we started believing in one story?
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Neolithic Revolution
468 Generations Ago (from 2020 CE) The Neolithic Revolution is the earliest known Agricultural Revolution. It is very likely that humans practiced forms of agriculture earlier. How much earlier? Well, without evidence, we are guessing. For convenience, anthropologists label humans as hunter-gatherers prior to the Neolithic Revolution. The fact is that the current theory states
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“The” Human DNA
2,400 Generations Ago The modern human DNA evolved sometime between 71,000 and 51,000 BCE. Imagine that. A human baby born today, and a human baby born in 60,000 BCE have nearly indistinguishable DNA. There are differences but essentially humans are the same now as they were then. The popular website 23andme.com focuses on 23 changes in
Chimpanzees Branch Off (CHLCA)
Humans did not evolve from chimpanzees. Humans, chimpanzees, and bonobos all descend from an earlier African ape whose lineage split around 7.5 million years ago.
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Jericho Founded
360 Generations Ago Earliest known permanent settlement in the Africa/Middle East zone. Jericho, located in the West Bank, Palestinian Territories, stands as one of the earliest known permanent settlements in the Africa/Middle East zone, with continuous habitation dating back to at least the 9th millennium BCE. Situated near an oasis in the Jordan Valley, Jericho’s
Radiometric Dating
5 Generations Ago In 1905, radiometric dating was discovered. It is a method used to date rocks and other objects based on the known decay rate of radioactive isotopes. This technique is used to date rocks. Paleontologists regularly order discoveries in chronological order and estimate their age. Knowing the age of rocks allows paleontologists to assign known
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Radiocarbon Dating
In 1946, Willard Libby created the method for dating organic materials by measuring their content of carbon-14, a newly discovered radioactive isotope of carbon. This dating technique provides objective age estimates within a few decades for carbon-based objects that originated from living organisms.
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Roger’s Last Known Essay
Treachery and Seduction This book was published for the first time in April 2014. At times, paper was scarce so on occasion Roger used existing books to write down his thoughts. Near the end of his life, Roger Williams scrawled an encrypted essay in the margins of a colonial-era book. This unpublished scribbles or “essay”
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13th Amendment
After the Civil War, the 13th Amendment ended slavery as a legal institution in the United States.
11th Amendment
One state cannot sue another. US courts cannot hear cases nor make decisions against a state if it is sued by someone who lives in another state or country. 12th Amendment: Procedure to elect a president and VP, then updated in 20th Amendment.
Common Sense by Thomas Paine
Common Sense is a pamphlet published by Thomas Paine in early 1776 advocating independence for the thirteen colonies from England. It was sold and distributed widely and read aloud at taverns and meeting places. Per capita, it had the largest sale and circulation of any book published in American history. the distinction between kings and
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English Bill of Rights
The 1689 English Bill of Rights was a precursor to our Bill of Rights and is referred to in our law. For example, it is referred to in Scalia’s Heller opinion. The bill outlined specific constitutional and civil rights and ultimately gave Parliament power over the monarchy. The monarchy cannot rule without consent of the
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The Constitution of the United States
The Constitution is a merger uniting the original 13 states with different cultures and laws. Under America’s first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, the states acted together only for specific purposes. The final Constitution of 1887 united all the states as members of a whole, vesting the power of the people in a Federal government.
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Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence expresses the ideals on which the United States was founded and the reasons for separation from Great Britain. The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (among others). People have a say in their government.
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Patent for Providence Plantations, Roger Williams
The first TRUE democracy in America. From the charter largely drafted by Roger Williams who was influenced by his mentor Sir Edward Coke who relied heavily on the Magna Carta in legal proceedings. From Roger Williams’ 1643/4 charter: …full Power and Authority to rule themselves…by such a Form of Civil Government, as by voluntary consent
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The First Great Charter of King Henry III
Less than two years after the original Magna Carta, the core of the Magna Carta was reissued in “The First Great Charter of King Henry the Third”, granted November 12, 1216–the first year of his reign. This was the first time the Magna Carta was willingly signed by a King. And, King Henry III created
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