18th May 2012, 12:50 PM
Wax Wrote:What are slaves and kids for if not those boring little tasks
Seriously to understand a cattle base culture it might be worth looking at what such current cultures do. My limited understanding of such cultures is there ain't that much for the young men to do except nick each others cattle. I am sure some one could spare a little time to work out the logistics of water storage.
Of course they might have access to one of those fabulous magic cauldrons as per the myths
Grin. Been reading too much of the Ulster cycles or the Mabinogion?
I think more sites should reference these fabulous resources:o)
The problem being, understanding modern (or historic) cattle-based cultures only gives you an idea of what is possible (or not possible) in functional terms and not what actually happened in the past. Not that you were suggesting anything other.
Useful empirical information to be compared and contrasted to the archaeological evidence, I agree.
Ooops, I feel a rant coming on........must be Friday.
But too many times have I seen researchers make leaps (beyond the evidence
) to relating modern cultural beliefs and ideology to ancient mindsets. Forgetting that the two are in no way more closely linked than our own western ideas.I think this derives from a progressionist view of social evolution harking back to the Victorian idea that these modern 'primitive' societies are less socially evolved than us and therefore are more similar to our (less socially evolved) ancestors.
A bit like believing that we are evolved from chimpanzees.....................and not that both species have been evolving for the same amount of time from a common ancestor.
Branches on a tree, not points on a line. Bit like the structure of time.