Prehistoric religion

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/prehistoric-religion

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the theoretical models of practice?Animism, shamanism, sympathetic magic, ancestor cults, astronomical observation
2. What is the cognitive foundations?Development of symbolic thought, abstract reasoning, and theory of mind
3. What did early humans think about animals in caves?They drew animals in caves, maybe to help them hunt or to honor the animals.
4. Why did early humans bury their dead with tools and jewelry?They believed the dead might need tools or jewelry in the next world. The careful placement shows they thought about life after death.

Paleolithic Art: Art created during the Old Stone Age, often depicting animals and human figures, serving potential ritualistic functions.
Grave Goods: Objects intentionally placed with a deceased person in a burial, suggesting beliefs about the afterlife or the deceased's needs.
Cosmology: A model of the universe, including its origin, structure, and the forces that govern it, often central to religious belief systems.