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Natural or Induced?
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thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat
6213 posts

Re: Natural or Induced? Pickering to Wheeldale
Aug 27, 2012, 16:45
Littlestone wrote:
.....

And while in the area what about the Wheeldale (Roman) Road? Supposed to be late Roman but that doesn’t feel right somehow (and the info board suggests that it might actually be pre-Roman). Felt more ceremonial to us...

As for atheists in the prehistoric – good question but few and far between I’d think. You were either part of the clan, sharing its beliefs and traditions, or you were out of it. Doubt if hermits back then would survive for very long on their own but that’s where we might expect to find people on the verges of society and thinking for themselves...


I seem to recall that the thinking about Wheeldale road is that it is as likely to be medieval as Roman, although of course either way it could be following an earlier route.

My thought about atheism in prehistory isn't that such people would be "out" of the clan, more that they might not share the beliefs privately, while going along with practices publicly. I'm reminded of the "Clan of the Cave Bear", where the principal character is thrown out of the clan and they immediately treat her as if she's invisible. Only fiction, but compelling all the same.
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