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“Mind-boggling
regularities which, if valid indicators, would suggest that some Lower
Palaeolithic hominins possessed concepts of spatiality significantly
different from ours, and apparently much more sophisticated.”
- Robert G. Bednarik, Pleistocene Palaeoart of the World, page 1
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Phi
in the Acheulian
is the second of two papers presented at the XVth
UISPP Congress in Lisbon (September 7, 2006) that offer a completely
new perspective on the intelligence of our ancient ancestors. For the
past 150 years, early humans have been regarded as inferior to
us, unable to create art, think abstractly, or even to speak. In
these two
papers (Part I being
The Graphics of Bilzingsleben), I demonstrate that this
picture is not at all accurate and that early peoples such as
Homo erectus,
Homo ergaster,
Neanderthals, and
Homo heidelbergensis
were
just as intelligent as we are in today's modern
world. The evidence provided in the two papers shows beyond any reasonable doubt that early people had
highly-developed language and even mathematical ability 400,000 years
ago.
Although
the paper was written for a scientific venue, I hope that the figures
offered here will let anyone who is interested see that the picture of early
peoples so long-promoted by the scientific community needs to be
reexamined with an open mind. The paper demonstrates by way of visual geometry understandable to everyone that
intricate bone engravings created 320,000-412,000 years ago
indicate extensive use of the mathematical ratio 1.618 known as Phi, the golden mean, and many other names.
Fig. 2
at right shows the three easy-to-understand tools used for measurements
in this particular paper. These tools are superimposed over the
Bilzingsleben engravings to show that the engravings adhere to the exact same ratio
used in the well-known
Acheulian handaxe* and other stone tools from the time of Bilzingsleben and earlier (
Fig. 4 above and
Fig. 13 below left). In fact,
Phi in the Acheulian provides
the very first proof that the
ratio long known to exist in handaxes made by
Homo erectus also exists in the engravings made by
Homo erectus (e.g.,
Figs. 8 & 9 and
Fig. 10 above, and
Fig. 14 below).
*Acheulian
(eh-shoo'-lee-en, pronunciation) refers to a basic set of stone tools used by people who lived between
roughly 1.8 million years ago and 100,000 years ago (with many
differing opinions on these dates). It is also used to refer to
such as Acheulian Culture or Tradition or to the various
peoples themselves, for
instance, Acheulian people, or to the general time
period during which these tools were being used, for
instance, Acheulian age. The Acheulian occurred during a larger
time period
known as the Lower Palaeolithic.
GEOMETRIC TOLERANCES: The details in Fig. 10 LARGE. If one would like to see the real details of Fig. 10, click on this link, Fig. 10 LARGE, or the picture at left, and then click on the enlarged picture one more time (the filesize for Fig. 10 LARGE is 460kb so it may load
slowly on some computers.) One can adjust viewing size of Fig. 10
LARGE by using the "Zoom" tool in your computer's "View" menu.
In Fig. 10 LARGE, one can clearly see all of the geometric tolerances I
applied which will leave nothing whatsoever to the imagination. One can see every point and every line and even how precisely any given line goes
through any given point. The reader can also rest assured that the tolerances
applied to create Fig. 10 are similar in all of the other Phi in the Acheulian studies as well as
in all of my other publications (both past and in press).
I emphasize this so that the reader may understand that there is no
need for me to use persuading arguments or authority when one can
readily see that the geometry is fully able to speak for itself.* This
is also the level of completely open and unambiguous data that is
presented in the Part I paper, The Graphics of Bilzingsleben (which has been held back from publication since 2006). The Part I paper contains the first unequivocal geometric and linguistic proof of early
language.
*A WORD ABOUT MY GEOMETRY BACKGROUND AND HOW IT RELATES TO THE
BILZINGSLEBEN ENGRAVINGS: Among other influences, my father, a
retired draftsman and mechanical designer, started me at a very
early age (probably around age 4)
in the techniques of drafting. He taught me the basic technologies of
straight edge, T-square, triangle, protractor and
compass. Despite encroachment of computerization on everything that
makes direct contact with the physical world, these original implements
have always been close at hand and used in original design projects
ever since those early days. It was this background that inclined me to notice physical (non-virtual) drafting techniques such as the use of a straight edge in the Bilzingsleben engraved
artifacts. As I have noted many times before, it is the longtime scientific commitment of needing Homo erectus
to serve as a "half-way-there" ape-man that the obvious
intelligence of these people has been completely overlooked for
more than a century.
Here are a few central propositions and discoveries that were first
presented in Phi in the Acheulian:
1.) 'Phi-based conceptual units.' Phi is the first archaeologically-identifiable ratio
to cross over from the natural world into the world of human ideas. Phi
is measurable, and, therefore, provides the most direct access to the
thoughts of early peoples so far proposed. Because of its
intrinsic analogical quality,
Phi is the single most efficient concept capable of opening the human
mind to every other area of intellectual inquiry. This is why
recognizing its presence beyond handaxes during the Acheulian is so
important. The ratio has long been known in Acheulian handaxes and
discussed by many authors.
Phi in the Acheulian is the first scientific
work to document the presence of Phi in
Homo erectus engravings.
2.) Phi handaxes to Phi microlithic tools. The use of Phi in
microlithic tools represents
the earliest archaeological evidence of miniaturization
adhering to an identifiable mathematical ratio.
The Phi microliths also
represent the earliest evidence for miniaturization of a
pre-established technology as much as 400,000 years before the comparable
histories of gears and microchips.
Microliths are advanced stone tools
and typically date no older than
10,000 years. They are also often used as parts of composite
tools (i.e. where two or more parts are put together to form a single
tool). The 400,000-year old microliths at Bilzingsleben, many of
which are in the same proportion as the Acheulian
handaxe (
Fig. 4 above and to the right) not
only demonstrate an intelligence equal to that of modern
Homo sapiens
but also help to confirm deliberate sophistication of the site's
bone engravings.*
*FOR MORE DETAIL ON THIS PARTICULAR SUBJECT, see my comment regarding the handaxe shape in microliths, April 26, 2009, on Michael Balter's Science blog, Origins: a history of beginnings: "Is a Hand Ax Really a Hand Ax?"
3.) Phi-based conceptual units, Part 3: The first archaeological evidence showing the
transformation of a specific and "measurable" idea from one medium into an entirely different and unrelated medium.
This
is part of the premise of phi-based conceptual units and is quickly
demonstrated by superimposing a Bilzingsleben phi-based microlith over
a set of Bilzingsleben engraved phi rectangles, the rectangles of
which, themselves, are in phi relationship with each other, that
is, sized to each other in accordance with the ratio (
Fig. 13, right).
4.) Diminution and augmentation of engraved motifs (e.g.,
reducing or increasing the length or size of phrases or motifs)
demonstrating the ability to reproduce the same motif in different
sizes or variations (
Figs. 8 & 9, above).
5.) The golden mean in Artifact 2 circle studies suggests
a grasp of ratio in
Homo erectus
that well
transcends the more crude and/or predictable sense of ratio in modern
human culture. It is proposed in the paper that part of our narrow
modern
sense of ratio is due to our preoccupation with dividing everything
into equal increments. The idea of "phi-based conceptual units"
suggests a more complex and more subtle mindset in
Homo erectus than in modern
Homo sapiens at least more so when compared with the standard Western science mindset (
Fig. 10 and
Fig. 10 LARGE, above).
6.) Phi-based conceptual units, Part 5: Fractal associations with Artifact 6.
Phi comparisons carried out to 5 decimal points. To demonstrate how
completely absorbed into the ape-man paradigm most anthropologists have
been trained in, after seeing the phi evidence, a very common response
has been something like, "maybe this proves that
Homo erectus
'wasn't'
intelligent." The only thing statements such as this prove is how
willing predisposed anthropologists are at continuing to try and fit
square pegs into round holes at whatever cost; it is actually no fault
of theirs, but shows how powerful a popular paradigm can be (
Fig. 12 above right).
7.) Phi-based conceptual units, Part 6, Fractal associations between engravings and microliths (
Fig. 13 above right).
SECTION HEADINGS FOR PHI IN THE ACHEULIAN SHOWING CONTEXT AND PLACEMENT OF THE FIGURES
1.) Introduction
2.) Influences and Position in a Larger System
3.) Disclaimers and Nomenclature
4.) "PHI-BASED CONCEPTUAL UNITS," PART 1: THE RATIO THAT CROSSES TIME AND SPECIES
a.) FIGURE 1: Long-time awareness and use of the Phi ratio, 1.618
5.) PHI MEASURING TOOLS: HOW THE "PHI-BASED CONCEPTUAL UNITS" WILL BE DEMONSTRATED
a.) FIGURE 2: Phi measuring tools
6.) "PHI-BASED CONCEPTUAL UNITS," PART2: PHI FRACTALS IN THE BILZINGSLEBEN MICROLITHS
a.) FIGURE 3: Phi in the Bilzingsleben microliths
7.) THE EARLIEST PERFECTION OF MINIATURIZATION: SEEING THE MINIATURE PHI RATIO AT 10X MAGNIFICATION
a.) FIGURE 4: Gowlett's phi ratio discovery demonstrated to perfection by the Bilzingsleben microliths
8.) "PHI-BASED CONCEPTUAL UNITS," PART 3: THE GOLDEN GROUPS: A STARTING POINT FOR LINGUISTICS AND MATHEMATICS
a.) FIGURE 5: Numbering system used in studies associated with the radial motif of Artifact 2
b.) FIGURE 6: "Golden groups" division of the Artifact 2 radial motif via three identical golden rectangles
c.) FIGURE 7: The "golden groups" as isolated characters
d.) FIGURE 8: Diminution and augmentation in the Artifact 2 golden groups
e.) FIGURE 9: Inverse triangles in the Artifact 2 golden groups
9.) THE GOLDEN MEAN IN ARTIFACT 2 CIRCLE STUDIES, AND AN APPEAL TO PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY
a.) FIGURE 10: The golden mean in Artifact 2 circle studies
10.) "PHI-BASED CONCEPTUAL UNITS," PART 4: CONSISTENCY OF PHI ENCLOSURES BETWEEN TWO ARTIFACTS
a.) FIGURE 11: Further evidence suggesting a grasp of ratio as it relates to Phi
11.) "PHI-BASED CONCEPTUAL UNITS," PART 5: FRACTAL ASSOCIATIONS WITHIN ARTIFACT 6
a.) FIGURE 12: Confirmation of Phi awareness via deliberately engraved golden rectangles
12.) "PHI-BASED CONCEPTUAL UNITS," PART 6: FRACTAL ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN ENGRAVINGS AND MICROLITHS
a.) FIGURE 13: Artifact 6 golden rectangles match both the long-established Acheulian ratio standard and the layout choice for Gowlett's graph
13.) THE EARLIEST "GRAPHIC" DIVIDING LINE: DECIMAL THEORIES 1 & 2
a.) FIGURE 14: The earliest graphic dividing line (a-c) and "Decimal theory 1"
b.) FIGURE 15: The earliest graphic dividing line: Decimal theory 2
14.) THE EARLIEST "GRAPHIC" DIVIDING LINE: MIRROR THEORY
a.) FIGURE 16: The earliest graphic dividing line: Mirror theory
15.) 14 INSTANCES OF PHI IN A SEVEN-LINE MOTIF
a.) FIGURE 17: 14 instances of Phi in a 7-line motif (Fig. 17, right)
16.) FRACTALS OF PHI: SIX INSTANCES OF THE GOLDEN RATIO IN A SINGLE THREE-PART MOTIF
a.) FIGURE 18: Fractals of Phi: six instances of the golden ratio in a single 3-part motif
17.) CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: ACHEULIAN PHI RATIOS AS THEY RANK WITH WELL-KNOWN NATURAL AND RENAISSANCE ART COMPARISONS
a.) FIGURE 19: Acheulian Phi ratios as they rank with well-known natural and renaissance art comparisons
18.) FRACTAL LOCATION OF THE CEREBELLUM: "CROSS-DIMENSIONAL FRACTALS" AND HUMAN INDEBTEDNESS TO PHI
a.) FIGURE 20: Type Homo erectus or ergaster skull (Turkana Boy) and perfect affiliation with the golden spiral
b.) FIGURE 21: Fractal location of the cerebellum: The golden mean within the modern human brain
c.) FIGURE 22: Fractal location of the cerebellum: The golden mean within the Homo erectus skull and brain
d.) FIGURE 23: Two facts of Acheulian golden mean ubiquity
19.) COGNITIVE IMPLICATION OF THE RATIO
a.) FIGURE 24: Cognitive implication of the ratio
20.) CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
21.) PUBLICATION NOTE
22.) REFERENCES
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EXTENT OF THE DATA: The figures offered here are only a few of the 24 that were published. There
are over a hundred more studies which the author produced in
preparation for the UISPP Congress
(all
intended to make the point visually and clearly using such as
triangles,
trapezoids, parallelograms, etc.), so the reader may rest assured
that there already exists substantially more evidence in support of the
ideas put forth.
The reader is invited to
click on any of
the thumbnails to
see that even 400,000 years ago, work of extremely fine artistic
quality, precision and detail was being produced which is well beyond
the limited
capabilities for early peoples long promoted by the
scientific
community. In reality, the abilities of these early people were
comparable to what people
are capable of today and were in many ways more sophisticated. These
extinct elephant bone engravings are all the more remarkable seeing
that they were engraved using a flint knife (see also, "Straight edge
theory" forwarded in the papers,
Musings on the Palaeolithic fan motif and
The Graphics of Bilzingsleben).
The engravings, which were found in association with at least two
Homo erectus individuals, offer the most direct evidence of
Homo erectus language yet discovered. The recent sudden rush of
language-confident theories which are
based on indirect circumstantial evidence such as quasi-language genes or
pecked holes in rock are emboldened in their
confidence from research presented in
The Graphics of Bilzingsleben
and
Phi in the Acheulian.
Here is the abstract
as published in the scientific venue:
Abstract: The ratio 1.618, commonly known as the golden ratio or
phi, has fascinated the modern mind since the beginnings of Greek science and
philosophy, and many have made cases for its use as early as the Sumerian and
Egyptian civilizations. In this paper, however, I hope to demonstrate that
interest in the ratio extends much farther back in time than a mere four or
five thousand years, being already highly developed during the Lower
Palaeolithic. At whatever point it first occurred, I suggest that interest in phi
was an essential human trait that grew in tandem with the human capacity for
analogy. With the cranial ratios of Turkana Boy (Walker and Leakey 1993) and the
stone handaxe ratios of Gowlett (1984, 1993) serving as stable early references,
I provide evidence of phi spanning 1.6 million years time. In the central
studies, I expand on the work of Mania and Mania (1988) and Bednarik (1995),
and demonstrate that the hominids at Bilzingsleben, Germany, 350,000 years ago,
continued the long established phi tradition in ways that prove its existence
beyond the long-debated handaxe ratio issue into microlithic tools and
intricate bone engravings, adhering more accurately and more consistently to the
ratio than the most often cited examples in modern culture. The intense
concentration of phi in so many forms within Bilzingsleben is well beyond any
expectations of chance. Based on the evidence, I suggest that phi was not only
a centralizing element in general Acheulian culture but due to its intrinsic
analogical quality played a defining role in the actual development of human
cognition. Deliberate use of phi suggests that human understanding of analogy
occurred much earlier in our history than ever anticipated, and by way of a
“mathematical idea” which has remained firmly rooted in human thought to this
very day.
Keywords: Cognitive Archaeology, Bilzingsleben, Phi, Analogy, Linguistics
Feliks,
J. 2008. Phi in the
Acheulian: Lower Palaeolithic intuition and the natural origins of
analogy. In Bednarik, R. G. and D. Hodgson (eds), Pleistocene palaeoart
of
the world, pp. 11-31. Proceedings of the XV UISPP World Congress
(Lisbon, 4-9 September 2006), BAR International Series 1804, Oxford.*
Feliks,
J. 2006. Phi in the
Acheulian: The natural inclination of Homo erectus toward the golden mean. Program #C80-06 presented at the XV UISPP World Congress
(Lisbon, 4-9 September 2006). 56 color slides with thumbnails handout.**
**Phi
in the Acheulian is Part II of a two-part visual program and thesis
offering an entirely new perspective regarding early peoples such as
Homo erectus, Homo ergaster, Homo heidelbergensis, and Neanderthals.
The Part I program and thesis is The Graphics of Bilzingsleben.*** At right is Fig. 14 from Phi in the Acheulian.
***Feliks, J. 2010 (in press). The graphics of Bilzingsleben: Sophistication and subtlety in the mind of Homo erectus. Proceedings of the XV UISPP World Congress (Lisbon, 4-9 September 2006), BAR International Series, Oxford.
*(BAR is British Archaeological Reports.)
PRE-PUBLICATION REGISTRATIONS FOR THE GRAPHICS OF BILZINGSLEBEN AND PHI IN THE ACHEULIAN
This
information is being posted only because the Graphics presentation
and/or
thesis paper have been held back from
publication for several years while changing hands several times.
Unfortunately, some of this material or motivation and confidence
derived from the author's work (Graphics & Phi) has
already shown up on the web and in academic papers without citation of
the original sources, including by those who have had privileged access to the author's supplementary materials and references.
This, of course, is part of the reason that international copyright
exists. Scholars need to have confidence that material being considered
for publication remains in confidential trust and that once it is
published any work which is based on that material or inspired by it will
cite the original source:
Registered 2006: http://bulk.resource.org/copyright/hids/hid_17/hid_17850500-17850799.txt
[Txu 1-323-001: Two Visual Thesis Programs (112 slides, Thumbnails
Handout): 1.) The Graphics of Bilzingsleben, 2.) Phi in the Acheulian. U. S. Copyright Office]
Registered 2007: http://bulk.resource.org/copyright/hids/hid_20/hid_20849600-20849899.txt [Txu 1-350-724:
Publication Materials for the Lisbon Programs: 1.) The Graphics of
Bilzingsleben (in thesis form), 2.) Phi in the Acheulian (in thesis
form), 3.) Publication Addendum, 4.) Copy of the original Thumbnails
Handout. U. S. Copyright Office]
OTHER PUBLICATIONS BY THE AUTHOR
Feliks, J. 2012. Five constants from an Acheulian compound line. Aplimat - Journal of Applied Mathematics 5 (1): 69-74.
Feliks, J. 2011. The
golden flute of Geissenklosterle: Mathematical evidence for a
continunity of human intelligence as opposed to evolutionary change
through time. Aplimat - Journal of Applied Mathematics 4 (4): 157-62.
Feliks, J. 2012. The
graphics of Bilzingsleben series: Scientific misconduct over ancient
artifact studies and why you should care: Part 7: Who were the people of Bilzingsleben. Pleistocene Coalition News Vol. 4 (Issue 4): 12-14.
PDF version
HTML version
Feliks, J. 2012. The
graphics of Bilzingsleben series: Scientific misconduct over ancient
artifact studies and why you should care: Part 6: The Lower Paleolithic origins of advanced mathematics. Pleistocene Coalition News Vol. 4 (Issue 3): 12-13.
PDF version
HTML version
Feliks, J. 2012. 12 Angry Men, starring Henry Fonda: A superb classic film for teaching critical thinking attitude and skills. Pleistocene Coalition News Vol. 4 (Issue 2): 17.
PDF version
HTML version
Feliks, J. 2012. The
graphics of Bilzingsleben series: Scientific misconduct over ancient
artifact studies and why you should care: Part 5: Gestalten. Pleistocene Coalition News Vol. 4 (Issue 2): 11-13.
PDF version
HTML version
Feliks, J. 2012. The
graphics of Bilzingsleben series: Scientific misconduct over ancient
artifact studies and why you should care: Part 4: 350,000 years before Bach. Pleistocene Coalition News Vol. 4 (Issue 1): 10-12.
PDF version
HTML version
Feliks, J. 2011. The
graphics of Bilzingsleben series: Scientific misconduct over ancient
artifact studies and why you should care: Part 3: Base grids of a suppressed Homo erectus knowledge system. Pleistocene Coalition News Vol. 3 (Issue 6): 12-14.
PDF version
HTML version
Feliks, J. 2011. The
graphics of Bilzingsleben series: Scientific misconduct over ancient
artifact studies and why you should care: Part 2: Censoring the world's oldest human language. Pleistocene Coalition News Vol. 3 (Issue 5): 12-14.
PDF version
HTML version
Feliks, J. 2011. The
graphics of Bilzingsleben series: Scientific misconduct over ancient
artifact studies and why you should care: Part 1: Proof of straight
edge use by Homo erectus. Pleistocene Coalition News Vol. 3 (Issue 4): 14-16.
PDF version
HTML version
Feliks, J. 2010. The golden flute of Geissenklosterle: Preview of APLIMAT 2011 paper. Pleistocene Coalition News Vol. 2 (Issue 6): 10.
PDF version
HTML version
Feliks, J. 2010. Phi-based conceptual units: Pushing math origins back to the Acheulian age.
[Internet].
Available on SCIENAR at:
http:/www.scienar.eu/network/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=170:phi-based-conceptual-units-pushing-math-origins
-back-to-the-acheulian-age&catid=4:general-contents&Itemid=62.
Feliks, J. 2010. Ardi: How to create a science myth. Pleistocene Coalition News Vol. 2 (Issue 1): 1-3.
PDF version
HTML version
Feliks, J. 2009. A Lot of Gold in the Mix: Review of Fragment from a Nonfiction Reader. Pre-publication review of the debut science thriller by Warren Fahy (see quotation on the author's review page under FRAGMENT: Reviews).
Feliks, J. 2009. The handaxe shape in microliths. Comment on "Is a hand ax really a hand ax,"
by Michael Balter. Origins: a history of beginnings [Internet].
Available at:
http://blogs.sciencemag.org/origins/2009/02/is-a-handax-really-a-handax.html.
Feliks, J. 2006. Musings on
the Palaeolithic fan motif. In P. Chenna Reddy (ed.), Exploring the mind of ancient man: Festschrift to Robert G. Bednarik, 249-66. Research India
Press, New Delhi.
Feliks, J. 1998. The impact of
fossils on the development of visual representation. Rock Art Research 15: 109-34.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND THE WEBSITE'S PREMISE
John Feliks is an interdisciplinary
scholar and theorist researching early human cognition for the past 15 years. Along with the science, he offers an inside perspective based on an extensive background in the arts. Feliks's
recent work involves language and mathematics capability in Homo erectus
and other early peoples which he demonstrates empirically through
openly-testable geometric analyses of engraved
artifacts, artifact distributions, and stone tools. In all,
the
results of Feliks's research greatly contrast the long-accepted
standard model of
gradually-evolving
intelligence in the genus Homo. They suggest instead that early peoples such as Homo erectus, ergaster, Neanderthals, and heidelbergensis were just as capable as anyone living in today's modern world.