Message about religion and art of ancient people. The emergence of religion and art in primitive society

The topic of the relationship between religion and art is very important both for atheistic theory and for the practice of atheistic education.

It is known that over a long period of time historical era art was closely connected with religion. His subjects and images were largely borrowed from religious mythology, and his works (sculptures, frescoes, icons) were included in the system of religious cult. Many defenders of religion claim that it contributed to the development of art, fertilized it with its ideas and images. In this regard, the question arises about the true relationship between art and religion, about the nature of their interaction in the history of culture.

Even in the era of the dominance of religion in the spiritual life of society, art often acted as a force hostile to religion and opposed to it. The history of free thought and atheism is inextricably linked with the history of art. The progressive art of the past and now can be successfully used in the system of atheistic education of working people. Soviet art is called upon to play an important role in shaping the scientific worldview of workers in a developed socialist society. The power of art lies in its clarity, in its emotional and psychological impact. With the help of art, atheistic ideas can penetrate into various segments of the population. In the formation of a new person, the development of aesthetic creativity of the masses and the increasingly complete satisfaction of their aesthetic needs play a significant role. This implies the importance of studying the issue of the role of art in the system of atheistic education.

At the origins of religion and art

A scientific understanding of the relationship between religion and art is impossible without studying their genesis. The problem of the origin of religion and art has caused and is currently causing heated debate. The debates going on between scientists of different specialties (archaeologists, ethnographers, etc.) on the origin of art and religion are partly caused by the fact that scientists have at their disposal only fragmentary, scattered facts relating to the primitive era, and also by the fact that the interpretation of archaeological sources (rock paintings that have reached us, small plastic objects, ornaments, etc.) is, as a rule, not unambiguous and creates the possibility of several hypothetical judgments. However, this is only one side of the matter. Another - and much more important - is that the problem of the origin of religion and art has been and remains an arena of intense ideological struggle, the struggle of idealism and religion against the scientific, materialistic worldview. Therefore, both the methodological premises and the conclusions of many bourgeois scientists are determined by their general philosophical and worldview positions, which inevitably leaves an imprint on their interpretation known to science facts.

Primitive art was discovered only in the second half of the 19th century. In archeology at that time, there was an opinion about primitive man as a “troglodyte” who stood at a very low level of cultural development and whose life was limited only to satisfying basic material needs. Therefore, the first discoveries in Europe of deer bone engravings with superbly executed images of animals were initially dated by researchers to the beginning of our era, while in reality they were created at least ten thousand years earlier. The discovery of color paintings of animals in the Spanish Altamira cave in 1879 was met with disbelief by most archaeologists. The brightness, liveliness and perfection of the primitive images contrasted so much with the usual ideas about “troglodytes” that it took a quarter of a century (and the discovery of similar images in a number of other caves in the south of France) to recognize the authenticity of Altamiran primitive painting. Only at the beginning of the 20th century. It was generally accepted that primitive man of the Upper Paleolithic era was actively engaged in artistic creativity and left us a number of rock paintings, sculptures and engravings, distinguished by artistic maturity and perfection. In this regard, the question arose: what were the motives that forced primitive man to engage in artistic creativity?

Most foreign researchers, relying on the so-called magical concept of the origin of art, believed that rock paintings and sculptures found in caves were created by primitive people for magical purposes. Around these images and sculptures they arranged magical rituals, which were designed to ensure successful hunting of animals, as well as their reproduction, which guaranteed successful hunting in the future. From this the general conclusion was drawn that art supposedly grows out of magic, out of religion. For example, the famous West German researcher of primitive art Herbert Kühn wrote: “Pictorial images have always been associated with cult, not only in the Ice Age, but also later, in the Mesolithic, in the Neolithic, Bronze Ages, and, finally, throughout the Middle Ages, right up to until now". Art, like religion, according to G. Kühn, is “a person’s path to discovering the eternal secret of the deity”; it is one of the ways to get closer to God.

Indeed, many of the cave paintings and sculptures found in them were created and used for magical purposes.

However, one cannot assume that all primitive art is associated with magic. Many works of primitive art (engravings, figurines) are known, which were made on tools and household items. For example, spear throwers were found with elegant figures of a goat, partridge, and other animals carved on the handles. Many household items of the Paleolithic era are decorated with ornaments. All such items were used for industrial or household, but not religious needs. Here, the aesthetic exploration of the world was not associated with primitive religion.

But it's not only that. The very fact of the connection of primitive art with magic does not at all indicate that it arose from magic. As many researchers point out, primitive consciousness was syncretic, united, undifferentiated in nature. It intertwined and merged mythological and magical images and ideas, the beginnings of the aesthetic exploration of the world, the initial norms that regulated people's behavior, and, finally, the first empirical knowledge about the objects and phenomena surrounding people. Research by Soviet scientists (A.P. Okladnikova and others) showed that works of art are inextricably linked with all the life activities of primitive people, that they are multifunctional, that is, they simultaneously satisfy several of their vital needs. The unity, undifferentiation, syncretism of primitive consciousness does not mean that some of its elements (aesthetic) arose from others (magical). It should, on the contrary, be emphasized that the social needs that gave rise to primitive art and primitive magic are not only different from each other, but also opposite.

An aesthetic attitude to the world and its aesthetic development arise on the basis and in the process of labor and production activities of people. The labor process is not only the process of appropriation by man of the products of nature. At the same time, as Marx showed, it is a process of “humanization” of nature, during which a person imprints his goals, abilities, experience and skill in objects of labor. Using the properties and patterns of natural things, a person transforms and shapes these things according to his plan, his purpose. He reveals their internal capabilities, realizes them in the direction he needs, and at the same time embodies his abilities and strengths in objects. By creating objects for utilitarian purposes, a person at the same time strives to realize in them the “measure” inherent objectively in each object, the best way identify in them such properties as symmetry, harmony, rhythm. At the same time, a person enjoys the creative process itself, the ability to master every object and subordinate it to his own goals. Yes, in the process labor activity The aesthetic attitude to the world appears for the first time as a side of this process. Subsequently, this relationship develops, becomes more complex, covers an ever-increasing range of objects and, finally, separating from the utilitarian process of production, acts as a specific form of activity, an independent form of exploration of the world. Art is born.

Thus, the aesthetic development of the world and its highest form - art - appear in the process of creative, free human labor, based on the subordination of the forces of nature, in the process of ever more complete realization of human abilities, skills and knowledge. We can say, therefore, that art is one of the manifestations of human freedom.

As you know, the social origins of religion in general and magic as one of its first forms are directly opposite. Religion arises as a product and reflection of the powerlessness of primitive people in the face of nature; it is born of fear of unknown and alien phenomena of the surrounding world, of the inability to master them. Primitive magic is closely connected with the labor process, but this connection is very peculiar. Magic is a set of fantastic, illusory ideas and witchcraft actions, with the help of which primitive people trying to achieve practical results(successful hunting, fishing, victory over foreign enemies, etc.) in cases where they lack confidence in the ability to achieve these results through real practice. The English ethnographer B. Malinovsky successfully defined the socio-psychological basis of magic, characterizing it as “oscillations between hope and fear.” When undertaking a magical ritual, primitive people, on the one hand, fear the impact on their lives of forces unknown to them and uncontrollable by them (for example, the disappearance of game in the forest, fish in the river or ocean, a sudden mass disease of relatives, attacks by enemies, etc.) , and on the other hand, they hope that this ritual will protect them from disasters and misfortunes that they fear. From here it is clear that social basis Primitive magic is the practical powerlessness of people, their dependence on natural and social forces that they are not able to master and the nature of which they do not understand. Consequently, religion and magic, as one of its forms, are a reflection and manifestation of the lack of freedom of people.

1.ensure that students understand the concepts of “religion”, “art”, the reasons for their appearance

2.continue to develop the skills to reason, think logically, and simply analyze historical facts;

3. cultivate a sense of beauty.

Lesson type: lesson on learning new material

Equipment: textbook, presentation “The Emergence of Art and Religious Beliefs,” history workbook Ancient world issue 1.

During the classes

I. Organizing time

2. Repetition of covered material.

Over the course of several lessons, we have studied the life of primitive man. Let's

Let's remember what we learned. Now, to get ready for the next lesson, we

Let's play a little.

1. Warm-up game. I will ask you questions and we will see who is more competent and complete

will give answers.

Slide 2

1.Testing

2. Prepare a detailed answer to the question “What helped primitive people survive in new natural conditions?” To do this, remember:

What natural changes occurred on earth approximately 100,000 years ago?

How has the animal world changed?

What new tools and weapons did man invent?

What is a clan community called?

Draw a conclusion.

■ Approximate student answer: About 100 thousand years ago, a strong event happened on earth

cold snap. A glacier was advancing from the north into the territory of Europe and Asia. In these new

in natural conditions, man survived because he learned to use fire, dig

dugouts, mastered the caves, began to sew clothes. Animal world changed too. Appeared

smaller animals that were more difficult to hunt. That's why the man came up with

Bow and arrows. And also people became tribal communities, i.e. groups of relatives,

having everything in common.

3. Solving creative problems with the class

Slide 3 Algorithm for solving creative problems .

Task No. 1

During archaeological excavations, 339 stone tools were found in the Teshik-Tash grotto

and over 10,000 fragments of animal bones. Of the total number of bones it was possible

establish the identity of 938. Of these, horses - 2, bears - 2, mountain goats - 767,

leopard - 1.

Determine the main occupation of the inhabitants of the Teshik-Tash grotto?

Answer: Hunting.

The task can also be formulated as follows: “What conclusions can be drawn based on these

archaeological data?

Answer: People hunted, caught more mountain goats, fewer horses,

bears and leopards.

Task No.

A. Describe from the pictures ancient tools labor.

B. Which archaeological finds indicate habitats of ape-men, and which indicate

Stone Age sites?

Answer: The first sign of an ancient human site is traces of a fire, debris is good

processed stone tools (for the ape-men, split pebbles).

III. Go to study new topic

Slide6

And now we will get acquainted with new material,today in class we will get into

The most interesting and fascinating world is the world of ancient man.

Slide 7

Let's penetrate into the mysterious, hard-to-reach caves where ancient people hid from natural disasters, lived and kept their deepest secrets. The purpose of our lesson: to find out what types of art appeared in primitive society How did religious beliefs arise, how was this expressed?

Slide 8

Lesson plan:

1. Reasons for the emergence of religion

2. The emergence of art

Slide 9

Ancient people knew a lot, but they did not know the true causes of natural phenomena. They were afraid of thunder, lightning, hurricanes, floods, fires, and considered the sun, moon, stars, trees, rivers, and stones to be alive. Everything in nature had its own spirit. Spirits in relation to people could be both good and evil. To appease the spirits of nature, people made sacrifices to them and performed special rituals in their honor.

They believed in afterlife. Ancient people believed that every person has a soul. The soul is an incorporeal principle that makes a person a living and thinking being.

When a person sleeps, he does not notice or hear anything. This means his soul has left his body. It is impossible to wake a person abruptly: the soul will not have time to return.

People believed that when the soul leaves the body, the person physically dies, but his soul continues to live.

People believed that the souls of their ancestors moved to the distant “land of the dead.”

Slide 10

In caves and special structures, archaeologists find burials of ancient people.

2.Work with additional literature.

A short text is quoted.

“...They decided to clear one grave. The first burial and quite rich. It turned out

female. At the head there was a birch bark box with temple decorations

pendants, beads. Archaeologists call such boxes with gifts sacrificial.

complexes. Most often these are small birch bark containers, tightly closed with a lid.

Sometimes there were two or even three sacrificial complexes in the grave. Moreover, the number of things

exceeded twenty copies. The men's graves were much poorer. In them

iron knives, arrow and spear tips, quiver hooks, swords, parts were found

horse harness, bits, stone grinders and the like..."

Goldina R. D. “Silhouettes of melted times.” - Izhevsk, 1996. P. 131,134.

3. Conversation on questions about the text.

- Why do archaeologists dig up people's graves? (To get real

monuments, and therefore information.)

- How do they define a female or male burial? (According to finds.)

- Why did people put different things in their graves? (They believed that all this would be useful to them in

land of the dead, they believed in an afterlife.)

The souls of ancestors could, according to ancient people, interfere in the affairs of the living and help them

or harm. Witchcraft, magic, belief in spirits, in the existence of the soul testify to

the emergence of religious beliefs among ancient people. As primitive people developed

Their religious ideas also became more complex. People believed that nature and life

They are controlled by special higher beings who are more powerful and perfect. Their

represented either in the form of animals or in images, human-like. So among the primitives

people began to believe in gods, religion

Slide 11

Scientists have noticed that primitive people often portrayed themselves as mortally wounded

animals.Why do you think?

Hunters were afraid that there would be fewer animals in the forests, and that fish would disappear from lakes and rivers.

They believed that by drawing animals in the cave, they would be enchanted and not

will leave the area. And the image of a wounded animal will lead to a successful hunt.

Before the hunt, hunters performed a witchcraft ritual, striking the drawn picture with their spears.

animal on the sand. Observations of tribes in Australia helped scientists find out.

made nowadays

Slide12

How did a man bewitch the beast? Who are werewolves? Independent work with a textbook

p.15 &3 p. 3

Attempts to influence the future and natural phenomena through rituals or

witchcraft remedies led to the emergence of magic. Sorcerers and magicians used great

respect among primitive people. Often they led the community. The magic is near

magic. It uses spells, magical actions, enchantments. Magic helps

to perform miracles - this is what ancient people believed.

These were the first religious beliefs

So, we can conclude that in ancient times primitive religious

erogation. What kind of beliefs are these? Let's read the definition in the textbook on page 18: “Beliefs

into witchcraft, into werewolves, into the soul, into life after death are called religious.

4. Work on a new concept.

Slide 13.

Religion - this is belief in the supernatural (gods, spirits, souls, idols) and worship of them.

The term is on the slide, students write it down in their notebooks

What conclusion can we draw, why did they arise?religious beliefs?

1.from the powerlessness of man before the power of nature; from the inability to explain many of its phenomena.

2. They arose with the advent of Homo sapiens, capable of not only taking care of his immediate needs, but also reflecting on himself, his past and future.

3.Religious beliefs were manifested in the performance of special rituals associated with important events in life.

2. The emergence of art

Children love to draw. Ancient people were direct in their relationship to the world

and look like children.

Amazing messages came to us from the past, 35-30 thousand years distant from us.

Ancient people left images of their palms on the walls of caves. One day a man

put his hand to the wall and then traced it with colored earth. The result is an image of a hand.

Remember how you sent a letter to your grandparents when you were very small and

They didn’t know how to write, so they traced their palms with a pencil. Possibly the oldest images of hands

the walls of the famous Altamira cave in northern Spain reflect the desire of the ancient

a person to leave the imprint of his own life forever.

Slide14

This was the first manifestation of human creativity. This is how it began

art.

Slide 15

Let's watch a video about ancient painting.

Slide 16
What do ancient drawings represent? Describe the image, Do you like it and, if so, why? The answers are summarized (“the deer eats or drinks, he has a beautiful head and antlers”)

Slide17

What was the skill of the first artists? The most ancient artists managed to convey not only the appearance but also the character of the animals they hunted - bison, bears, rhinoceroses. They portrayed deer as sensitive and wary. The horses are fast and swift. Mammoths are massive and heavy.

In 1959, remarkable monuments of ancient history were discovered in the Kalova Cave in the Urals.

art. Mammoths, rhinoceroses and horses were painted in red paint on the walls of the cave. The animal figures are depicted with great conviction. They resemble images in the ancient caves of Europe, which testifies to the unity of the art of primitive people.

Slide18

Our ideas about

ancient people. Drawings became the first way of transmission from person to person

information – his “letter”. This is evidenced by the recording of the ancient Indians about the conditions

exchanging 30 killed beavers for an otter and a sheep.

5. Work on a new concept.

Painting is the creation of images on a plane using paints.

Rock symbolism.

The first drawings werepictograms - symbolic signs. The very first symbol and drawing of a person was the imprint of a person’s hand or foot - which can probably be compared with the modern inscription “I was here!” Particularly popular were signs depicting the sun and moon, the so-called solar signs, which were drawn in the form of circles with diverging rays. After all, already in ancient times, people wondered what gives warmth, why day follows night. Why does one luminary, the sun, come to replace another is the moon. Especially many such signs were discovered in Western European countries.

Petroglyphs (writings or rock carvings) - carved images on stone base(from ancient Greek πέτρος - stone and γλυφή - carving

Ancient people deserve the credit for creating painting, which has become the property of world spiritual culture.

Slide 22

The birth of sculptureThe earliest people were the first sculptors: in stone

and in clay they recreated the world they knew well.

If these were animals, then they were certainly strong and powerful, sometimes pierced by arrows, often wounded or dying. Female figurines were especially peculiar, since it was believed that a woman was the perpetrator of the family. Therefore, she was depicted as pregnant: with large breasts, a thick belly, and short plump legs. Only such a woman could survive in those cruel times and give the world another hunter or fisherman. The sculptures of men looked thin and agile. They had to feed the family.
Also among the sculptural works were found figures of people imitating ritual dances and ceremonies.)

Slide 23

Conclusion

Ancient man - Homo sapiens, created painting and sculpture even before the advent of agriculture
and cattle breeding, before he invented writing, he built cities. Such was his need for creativity

And now we will have a physical education session.

It's time to work with creative tasks workbook

Students complete assignmentsworkbook ( issue 1) Task 9, p. eleven.

Let's summarize the lesson.

Answer the questions:

What word can replace the following expressions;

Belief in gods and spirits -_______________ (religion).

Images of revered gods and spirits -_____________________ (painting).

Gifts to gods and spirits -____________________ (sacrifice).

A painted animal being defeated by spears is ________________ (witchcraft ritual).

Creatures that were fantasy ancient people- ____________ (werewolves).

1.Who was the first to discover and announce to the world about the cave paintings of primitive man? Who was it and where?

about the life of primitive man they could get there?

3.What forms of religious beliefs did Stone Age people have?

4.What types of primitive art do you know?

5.What colors did primitive artists use?

6.What did primitive artists most often depict?

Self-study assignment

2. Prepare a detailed answer to the question “Why did religion and art appear?” Be able to explain these concepts.

3. creative task: draw scenes of hunting, fishing, religious dances or rituals of primitive people, make a model of a primitive man’s dwelling with landscape elements.

References:

1. Vigasin A.A., Goder G.I., Sventsitskaya I.S. Ancient world history. Textbook for 5th grade educational institutions. M., 2007

2. World history: in 24 volumes. Vol. 1 Stone Age / A.N. Badak, I.E. Voynich and others - Mn.: Literature, 1998

3. GoderG.I. workbook on the history of the ancient world. 5th grade. A manual for students of general education institutions in 2 editions. Issue 1M, 2007

4.O. A. Severina History of the ancient world, grade 5 (in two parts). Lesson plans for the textbook “HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT WORLD, 5th grade” Publishing house "Teacher - AST" Volgograd 2002

5.Electronic library "Enlightenment". ANCIENT WORLD HISTORY. 5th grade Format: PC CD_ROM 6. educational electronic publication “General History” - history of the Ancient World PC CD_ROM

7. Delivered within the framework of the federal target program “Development of a unified educational information environment (2001 – 2005)” THE BIG ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CYRILL AND MEFODIUS" Cyril and Methodius", 2002

8.Interactive book in Russian. Delivered within the framework of the federal target program “Development of a unified educational information environment (2001 – 2005)” MYTHS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD. ENCYCLOPEDIA IN RUSSIAN LANGUAGE

9. . ART OF ANCIENT EGYPT

10 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MATERIAL CULTURE. ORNAMENT DirectMediaPublishing. Moscow TheYorckProjectGmbH. Berlin

Summary of a history lesson in 5th grade on the topic The Emergence of Art and Religious Beliefs.

Lesson type: lesson on learning new material.

Goal: to ensure that students master the concepts of “religion”, “art”, and the reasons for their appearance.

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Fassahieva Natalia Rafikovna

A history teacher

MAOU NGO Secondary School No. 12

History lesson notes in 5th grade

Lesson topic: The emergence of art and religious beliefs.

Lesson type: lesson on learning new material.

Goal: to ensure that students master the concepts of “religion”, “art”, and the reasons for their appearance.

During the classes.

1. Organizing time.
2. Updating students' basic knowledge.

Task 1. Find errors in the text.

What historical errors does the student’s dream contain?

Task 2. Express survey.

1. What natural changes occurred on Earth approximately 100 thousand years ago?
2. How has the animal world changed?
3. What new tools and weapons did man invent?
4. What is a clan community called?

1. Transition to studying a new topic

So, primitive man knew a lot, but he could not explain natural phenomena. Religion comes to the rescue.

What is religion? Why did she appear?

Let's write down the topic of the lesson: “The emergence of art and religious beliefs”

1. Learning a new topic

Plan

1. Reasons for the emergence of religion.
2. The emergence of art.

Teacher's story.

People did not know the natural causes of natural phenomena. Why do you have dreams? What is death? Why is it raining? People were looking for answers to soy questions. In his dreams he saw people who had died long ago. And I thought that he lived in the body soul . Man believed that the world was controlled by higher animate forces - perfume .

They believe that there is some kind of supernatural connection between the animal and its image. If you draw animals in the depths of the cave, people thought, then the living animals will be enchanted and will not leave this area. And if you hit the image with a spear, this will help you achieve success in the hunt. Primitive man imagined gods in the form of people or animals. From stone or wood he created an image of God - idol , thinking that God is moving into him. The man believed that the gods could provide help. It is only necessary for God to hear the request, and only shamans and sorcerers could do this.

The beliefs of primitive people that man has a soul and life after death are called religious.

Let's write down the term: religion is belief in and worship of the supernatural.

Physical education minute. The teacher calls the statement, if it is true, the children stand up, if it is not true, the children sit still.

1. The continent where the earliest people supposedly lived is Africa.
2. The tool with which primitive people caught fish was a chopper.
3. Chronology is a science that studies life from material sources.
4. Craft was the main occupation of ancient people.
5. The collective of ancient people is called the human herd.

Working with a document.

Let us also “visit” Altamira. (watch video).

1. Consolidation of the studied material.

1. Lergyia
2. Pgranu
3. Spijovzy
4. Avrjet
5. Birsoaetness
6. Oidle
7. Araaltmi

1. Summing up the lesson.

Bibliography:

1. General history. Ancient world history. 5th grade. Mikhailovsky F.A.
2. Universal lesson developments on the history of the Ancient World. 5th grade. Araslanova O.V., Soloviev K.A.
3. Ancient world history. 5th grade. Workbook. At 2 o'clock Goder G.I.

Internet resources:

1. http://miro101.ru/index.php/10-klass/61-naskalnaya-zhivopis 01.11.2014
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WncWu61Htm8 11/01/2014

Annex 1

Handout.

1. Find errors in the text.

One student dozed off during class. He dreamed of Africa more than two million years ago. A group of monkey-like people was moving. Everyone is in a hurry to get away from the bad weather - the sky has turned black with clouds. Only two cheerful boys lag behind the rest, enthusiastically talking about something. "Enough talking!" - the leader shouts at them. Suddenly, heavy snow fell, everyone was chilled at once, even clothing made from animal skins could not protect people from the cold. Finally they hid in a cave. They immediately took them out from their bosoms and began to chew roots, nuts and even stale bread. Suddenly everyone froze in horror: a terrible predator was approaching the cave - a huge dinosaur. What will happen next?! It was not possible to find out: a call from class interrupted my sleep at the most interesting place.

1. Altamira is one of the most famous Paleolithic caves in Spain. Although the cave and its paintings are known throughout the world, not everyone knows about the dramatic history of its first explorer, Count Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola. Everyone in the area knew about the existence of the cave; shepherds hid here from bad weather and hunters made a halt here. But only 11 years later, in 1879, while walking around the outskirts of the estate and entering a cave, M. de Sautuola’s nine-year-old daughter Maria drew her father’s attention to strange images, difficult to discern in the darkness of the cave, on the ceiling of one of its “halls.” “Look, dad, bulls,” said the girl. From this day began the long misadventures of Marcelino de Sautuola. Soon the first reports about this unique monument were published, arousing general interest. Sautuola was accused of deliberate falsification, that these paintings were made by one of his friends, an artist who was visiting his castle. One can imagine what moral trauma the “guardians of scientific truth” inflicted on the Spanish grandee, with his heightened sense of dignity and honor. Only almost 15 years after the death of M. De Sautuola, they were forced to publicly admit that they were wrong and agree that Altamira’s painting dates back to the Paleolithic era.

1. Tell us about the discovery of cave painting?
2. Count how many years ago it was opened?
3. Game “Confusion” (work in pairs, work at desks). The students' task is to decipher historical concepts and give them definitions.

1. Lergyia
2. Pgranu
3. Spijovzy
4. Avrjet
5. Birsoaetness
6. Oidle
7. Araaltmi

First tribes

The first communities began to appear when several families united to hunt together: this was the first step towards creating tribes. In order for communal hunting to be successful, early communities had to constantly move in search of areas abundant with game. These communities grew little by little, so that more and more abundant lands were required for hunting. From associations in several families, people moved to living in wider communities - “clans”; members of the same clan usually had one common ancestor. Over time, various needs, increasingly complex social life, as well as the tasks of hunting and, perhaps, war, led to the need to unite various clans into even larger unions - tribes.

The simplest social relations, limited to the family circle, by their very nature were clear and natural for all members of the community. But the more this community expanded, the more complex the laws became. public life, subject to fairly strict rules and obligations. Our rude ancestors were able to understand that the welfare and safety of everyone required some sacrifice from everyone: the freedom of man was narrowed, but in return the strength and well-being of the entire community increased. The first duty was to take care of food for all members of the group, and not just one’s own. This task, naturally, was entrusted to the most strong men. As a result, they were considered the most important people for society, worthy of special respect and veneration.

During the hunt, it became necessary to act together; as a result, the first forms of social life appeared.

In addition to hunting, adults had other responsibilities: they protected society from enemies, and they were entrusted with the most difficult and responsible responsibilities during migrations. Men engaged in hard work could devote only very little time to their own families, and in particular to children. The latter were usually very numerous - children had to be produced and taken care of, since only they gave the tribe as a whole hope of survival. Children probably sometimes did not even recognize their father when he returned from a long hunt, so much could adversity and hard labour. Many did not return at all, becoming victims of the struggle for existence.

Religion

Diseases, hunger, cold, and various kinds of misfortunes wiped out entire peoples from the face of the earth: nothing remained of some of them; the existence of others is told to us by sparse and unreliable evidence. Seeing his complete insecurity, every day not hoping to live to see the next, primitive man sought protection and help from supernatural beings with superhuman powers. Most often, they turned with trust and hope to natural forces: fire, sun, darkness and light, rain, thunder and lightning, and the fertile forces of the earth. How from general need A collective hunt arose to obtain food, and from the common need for protection from above, rituals and sacrifices were born. The need to perform prayers and spells together was even more urgent for people than the need for joint military action.

This is a mammoth, the ancestor of the elephant; hunting it was not easy given the enormous size of the animal and the weak means that primitive people had at their disposal.

The mediator between people and the deity was the shaman, at the same time a priest and healer, a sorcerer and an interpreter of nature. The most mysterious and intimate matters were entrusted to him: everything connected with the life and death of a person. He had to not only appease the gods by calling on them and making sacrifices to them, but also determine the causes of diseases, investigate healing properties herbs and the power of other medicines. Another important task was entrusted to the shaman: he raised the youth. Guardian of sacred rites and cultural tradition, he was best placed to prepare the next generations to understand the challenges ahead. Thus, in addition to performing complex initiation rituals, he was also assigned quite practical educational tasks.

Some of the most impressive were the rituals associated with sad events. Usually they settled in huge spacious caves at night. During these gatherings, torches were lit, casting bizarre shadows on the walls of the cave, which affected the imagination of people. The most revered in the community were magical rites performed on dramatic, tense days of crop failure, epidemics and similar disasters. Sometimes, in exceptional cases, human sacrifices were made.

The shaman is a storehouse of all kinds of wisdom. He is entrusted with the most important task of educating young warriors.

Mortality in those days was high, and funeral ceremonies were held frequently, which did not detract from their solemnity and magical meaning. At certain differences, in the funeral ceremonies of different peoples there was a lot in common: for example, the dead body was usually given the pose of a resting person, painted with red or brown paint and, having been placed in a hole in the ground, the hole was covered with stones. IN early periods In the prehistoric era, the dead were buried near settlements, in the same place where they lived. Along with the body were placed the most necessary utensils: a stone axe, a scraper, as well as food for food in extraterrestrial life. And by the end of the Neolithic era, the custom spread of burying the dead far from human habitation, in caves that were filled with stone blocks, so that the deceased was provided with peace, undisturbed by the close presence of the living. From the same time, the first traces of collective burials have reached us: the first cemeteries revered by primitive man.

Gradually people learned to make weapons and household tool from the bones of large animals.

Art

Most likely, it is religious beliefs and magical rituals gave rise to the first forms of art. A visible sign, figurine or drawing, was necessary to primitive man when he turned to the deities with a prayer for help and protection. Exquisitely decorated tools, in large number those that have come down to us provide eloquent evidence of the brilliant development of that artistic feeling that man owed to religious feelings. We know amazing examples of early drawings and graffiti. Their charm and expressiveness have not faded at all; on the contrary, thanks to their antiquity, they have a special charm of mystery for us. Rock paintings very often cover the walls of caves and grottoes, which have served as ordinary premises for religious services for thousands of years. The first artists most often depicted figures of animals and people. Hunting scenes, figurines of people and animals depicted in various poses, living evidence of a distant era, which without them would remain completely unknown to us.

Dressing in animal skins, people cast magical spells to ask the deity for abundant prey from the hunt.

It is believed that the first, almost unconscious, form of art was sculpture; followed by relief images, drawing and painting. There is no doubt that artists should have enjoyed special respect, because they too were akin to mysterious and omnipotent spirits

The emergence of art and religious beliefs

Prerequisites

Awareness of one's mortality and an attempt to come to terms with one's mortal nature led to the emergence of a belief in an afterlife. The desire to influence natural phenomena and events led to the emergence of magic and religion.

Primitive art was part of religion. It was closely connected with the rites and rituals of ancient people. Had a magical function.

Art existed already in the late Paleolithic era (about 40-10 thousand years ago).

Events

The emergence of belief in an afterlife. Scientists conclude this from excavations of ancient burials in which red ocher was found. It symbolized blood, and therefore life (belief in life after death).

The emergence of religious beliefs
. Animism: belief in the animation of all objects surrounding a person (the belief that they all have a soul). Anima - lat. "soul".
. Totemism: belief in the origin of a group of people (clan) from some animal, plant or object.
. Fetishism: the worship of inanimate objects to which supernatural properties are attributed. Fetishes (amulets, amulets, talismans) can protect a person from harm.

The emergence of art
. Figures carved from soft stone, from mammoth tusks or sculpted from clay.
. Cave paintings: created in dark caves, scientists suggest that they were not intended for aesthetic perception. Most likely, they played some role in the rituals of primitive man.

Conclusion

In the Late Paleolithic era, religious beliefs such as animism, totemism, and fetishism first appeared. The religion of primitive people was inextricably linked with magic. The art that arose during the same period was not separated from magic and religion, and did not have a purely aesthetic function.

Abstract

For a long time, scientists did not know that among primitive people there were skilled artists, but the discoveries they made spoke for themselves. Ancient artists painted not only for their own pleasure, but also to “bewitch” the beast. How did religious beliefs originate? What cults did our distant ancestors worship? You will learn about this in our lesson today.

One of the main manifestations of a person’s spiritual life is religion. All peoples had religious beliefs. Some scientists believe that religious beliefs appeared among Neanderthals. Archaeologists find burials in which, in addition to remains, they find household items and tools (Fig. 1).

Rice. 1. Ancient grave ()

Neanderthals had a cult of the bear. The skulls of cave bears served as objects of witchcraft, from which religious beliefs and rituals subsequently developed.

The religious beliefs of the Cro-Magnons were more complex. In the burials near their sites, in addition to household items and tools, scientists found ocher, which had the color of blood - the color of life. It can be assumed that “Homo sapiens” developed a belief in the immortality of the soul. The animation of objects, forces and elements of nature is called animism.

During the period of the emergence of clan communities, a religious idea arose about the supernatural kinship between members of the clan and totem- a mythical ancestor. Most often, various animals and plants, even natural phenomena and inanimate objects, served as totems. Among the Australian aborigines and Indians North America totemism is the basis of the traditional worldview.

The trade cult is also associated with totemism. There were witchcraft rituals associated with hunting and fishing. Primitive hunters were afraid that there would be fewer animals in the forests, the meat of which they ate, and that fish would disappear from the lakes. People began to believe that there was a connection between the animal and its image created by the artist. If you draw bison, deer or horses in the depths of the cave, people thought, then the living animals would be enchanted and would not leave the surrounding area (Fig. 2). If you draw a wounded animal or hit its image with a spear, this will help you achieve success in the hunt. With amazing skill, the ancient artist painted a mammoth with a flexible trunk, a deer with branched antlers thrown back, a bear wounded and bleeding. There are images of a mortally wounded bison and the hunter it killed. In some caves there are paintings of people representing animals. The man has horns on his head and a tail at the back; he seems to be dancing, imitating the movements of a deer.

Rice. 2. A man bewitches the beast ()

About a hundred years ago, a Spanish archaeologist examined the Altamira cave, where people lived in ancient times. Unexpectedly, he discovered pictures of animals painted in paint on the ceiling of the cave. At first, scientists believed that these paintings were painted quite recently; no one believed that ancient people knew how to draw. But then similar images were discovered in many caves. Archaeologists also found figurines of people and animals carved from bone and horn. No one doubted anymore that the paintings and figurines were works of art from the distant past (Fig. 3).

Rice. 3. Altamira. Bisons ()

Works of art show that Homo sapiens was observant, knew animals well, and his hand drew precise lines on stone and bone.

Bibliography

1. Vigasin A. A., Goder G. I., Sventsitskaya I. S. History of the Ancient World. 5th grade. - M.: Education, 2006.
2. Nemirovsky A.I. A book for reading on the history of the Ancient World. - M.: Education, 1991.
3. Ancient Rome. Reading book / Ed. D. P. Kallistova, S. L. Utchenko. - M.: Uchpedgiz, 1953.

Additional precommended links to Internet resources

1. Ancient world history ().
2. Miracles and mystery of nature ().
3. Ancient world history ().

Homework

1. What were the oldest religious beliefs?
2. Fairy tales say that a boy turned into a kid, a girl into a willow tree, what beliefs are these fairy-tale transformations associated with?
3. What objects found by archaeologists during excavations of ancient burials confirm the assumption of the emergence of religious ideas among people?
4. Why did primitive people depict animals?