Cultures and Religions

The course explores the origins and development of the earliest forms of symbolic and religious thought in prehistoric humans, adopting an evolutionary perspective that integrates archaeological, biological, cognitive, and anthropological evidence. It examines the relationship between anatomical evolution, brain expansion, and the growing complexity of symbolic behavior, with particular attention to the processes of sociality, communication, and cooperation that favored the emergence of early spiritual representations. The programme includes: • The main evolutionary models for the origins of humans and symbolic intelligence (from the social brain theory to cultural niche construction); • Anatomical and cognitive transformations in hominins: encephalization, upright posture, manual dexterity, and intentional communication; • The first manifestations of symbolism in the Middle and Upper Paleolithic: personal ornaments, pigments, rock and portable art; • Funerary practices and the issue of intentionality in burials and the perception of death; • The emergence of symbolic representation and the origins of language and music; • Evidence of symbolic behavior in Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans; • The role of ritual and collective practices in the construction of early social identities and prehistoric cosmologies; • Cognitive and evolutionary interpretations of archaeological data: limits and perspectives in the study of “religion” in prehistory. The course combines lectures, guided case-study discussions, and student presentations on selected topics.

To follow the course Religions of Prehistory with profit, it is useful but not essential to have a basic knowledge of Prehistory and Protohistory, Cultural Anthropology, and History of Religions, particularly regarding the main interpretative models of human cultures and the evolutionary processes of the human species. A general familiarity with the basic concepts of biological and cognitive evolution, and with the main archaeological evidence from the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, is also helpful. A good ability to read and understand academic texts in English will facilitate active participation and engagement with the course readings. However, the course is designed to be accessible even to students approaching the study of prehistoric religiosity and the origins of symbolic thought for the first time.

• Manzi, G. (2018) Il grande racconto dell’evoluzione umana. Bologna: Il Mulino. • Cristiani, E. & Borić, D. (2023) Parure di antichi cacciatori-raccoglitori dell’Europa sud-orientale. Roma: Nuova Cultura Editore. • d’Errico, F., Henshilwood, C., Lawson, G., Vanhaeren, M., Soressi, M., Bresson, F., Tillier, A., Maureille, B., Nowell, A. & Backwell, L. (2003) ‘The search for the origin of symbolism, music and language: A multidisciplinary endeavor’, Journal of World Prehistory, 17, pp. 1–70. • Dunbar, R., Barrett, L. & Lycett, J. (2012) L’evoluzione del cervello sociale. Torino: Espress Edizioni srl. • Kuhn, S. & Stiner, M. (2007) ‘Body ornamentation as information technology: Towards an understanding of the significance of early beads’, in Mellars, P., Boyle, K., Bar-Yosef, O. & Stringer, C. (eds.) Rethinking the human revolution: New behavioural and biological perspectives on the origin and dispersal of modern humans. Cambridge: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, pp. 45–54. • Renfrew, C., Bahn, P. & DeMarrais, E. (2024) L’essenziale di archeologia: Teorie, metodi, pratiche. 3rd Italian edn. Bologna: Zanichelli, chapters 7 and 9. • Tomasello, M. (2025) Unicamente umano: Storia naturale del pensiero. Bologna: Il Mulino.

The course includes traditional lessons. Attendance, while not mandatory, is strongly recommended.

To pass the exam, it is necessary to achieve a grade of not less than 18/30. The student must demonstrate that he has acquired sufficient knowledge of the topics covered during the course. Exam eligibility will be achieved through oral assessment, attendance, active participation, reasoning ability, and independent study. To achieve a score of 30/30 cum laude, the student must instead demonstrate that he has acquired an excellent knowledge of all the topics covered during the course, of the archaeological problems and of the investigation methodologies used in the study of the origins of symbolism and the evolution of human cognitive faculties as well as the symbolic evidence left by past societies being able to connect them logically and coherently.

The course includes traditional lessons where students will be illustrated with various concepts and direct and indirect archaeological evidence related to the evolution of behavioural modernity. The lessons include the discussion of archaeological evidence from the lower Paleolithic to the Neolithic. Attendance, while not mandatory, is strongly recommended. Furthermore, students will have to compile PowerPoint presentations on one of the topics covered during the course and deepen through the assignment of articles and book chapters to read. These presentations will be evaluated by both the teacher and the other students and will form part of the final mark.