Tombs and Symbolism

[gabrielzero]

One of the things that has always bugged me about archeology and anthropology is the general assumption that, "If you don't know what it's for... it's for some religious purpose."

I remember particularly a scene I saw from an analysis of the Ice Man they found in the alps. He had, amongst other things, an axe with a copper axe-head on it.
Cut to: know-it-all archaeologist: "Copper is such a soft metal that it would be useless as an actual tool."
Cut to: neolithic recreationist: "Having used a flint axe and a copper axe, I'd have to say that while the flint axe stays sharper longer, the copper axe is easier to sharpen. If I had to choose between the two, I'd want the copper axe."
Cut to: know-it-all archaeologist: "So, having dispensed with the notion that this was used as a tool, we must ponder its religious significance."

You get this attitude tripled when you're dealing with tombs... which is partly fair, because the whole idea of a tomb in the first place is all about its symbolizing. But there are certain exigencies in building a tomb: physical space, engineering, geology of the ground, actually getting the corpse into it, etc.

Not everything means something. If I have a beer before breakfast, it doesn't mean that I believe Jesus was left-handed. (Although he probably was.)

[some guy]

First of all, LOL at your last comment.

I really could not even trying to comprehend what a archaeologist thinks, but maybe they're trying to explain the fact that past generations, or ancient civilizations where more religious then people today. Not to say I know everything about this topic, but from what I gather from deep deep history is that people were more into-it (is all i could think of) that they really believe in their gods, and all the skepticism that "oh the sun wont rise if we do blah blah" and all that. I just feel that may be a part in it, though I'm not too sure about the whole axe thing...