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Message: <blockquote data-quote="nedjer" data-source="post: 5246242" data-attributes="member: 83796">The Victorians were very gassy.But hyper-diffusionism is the notion that one 'culture' spread throughout the globe and formed the basis of most of the civilisations of the ancient world. This was very trendy in Victorian society and resurfaced bigtime with Thor Hyerdahl's (?) Ra boat trips, Erich von 'Mad as a Hatter' Daniken and Charles 'Bermuda Zone Atlantis' Berlitz.This was 90% cobblers, but sold well, and received a later boost from Hancock's 'Fingerpainting of the Gods', which is 80% cobblers. They all use a highly selective and excluding approach to evidence.Levi-Strauss offers a different approach, based on the model that all humans need to navigate, tracking sky features/ skymaps help you navigate night and day, so everyone, everywhere starts to develop and interest in the best ways of telling the time and getting around.At present, the 'scientific' view (can't claim to speak for all) is a complex mix of both. Ancient peoples moved around a lot more than we thought but civilisations can/ typically reach a stage between shamanism and a proto-science, where there's a huge, local investment in developing the means to time and navigate. This protects the 'priesthood/ older who control valuable knowledge, and the political structure which can use or pass the buck to the knwoledge and the priests. Basically, a good way to avoid regicide as soon as someone younger and tougher comes along.</blockquote>

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