Why do ancient civilizations seem so advanced?
Application: The concept of "primitive man" is an evolutionary concept that has no foundation in Biblical history.
In this L.I.F.E. Lesson, Dr. Bob visits Clovis, New Mexico and discusses the fallacy of primitive man, and the circular reasoning of the dating methods used to create a false historical timeline that ignores Biblical truth.
Supplemental Information
Clovis, New Mexico provides a good example of the impact evolutionary theories have had on two fields of scientific study; geology/paleontology and anthropology. The discovery of Clovis spear points with mammoth bones disrupted the non-Biblical worldview of man's arrival in the Americas. Prior to Edward B. Howard's discovery in 1932, the idea that humans coexisted with mammoths was discarded. Mammoth bones were considered Indicator Fossils for a pre-human period of time.
When Howard first visited the site he described the “matted masses of bones of mammoth.” Mixed in with the bones were the unique, slender, finger-long spear points. These are now called Clovis points, in honor of the location they were first found, here at Blackwater Draw near Clovis, New Mexico.
Now more than 10,000 Clovis points have been discovered, from 1,500 locations throughout most of North America; Clovis points, or something similar, have turned up as far south as Venezuela. They seem to have materialized suddenly, by archaeological standards, and spread fast.
Most researchers believe that the rapid dissemination of Clovis points is evidence that a single way of life, the Clovis culture, swept across the continent in a flash. No other culture has dominated so much of the Americas.
Indicator Fossils
Indicator Fossils, or Index Fossils, are fossils used to define and identify geologic periods. Index fossils are the basis for defining boundaries in the geologic time scale and for the correlation of strata.
The basic assumptions associated with Indicator Fossils is that they exist for a short period of geological time, and are widely distributed. Integral to their usefulness is the evolutionary assumption that the geological column represents a timeline for the earth's existence. Based on uniformitarian concepts of sediment deposition, it is assumed that current processes can be extrapolated into the past. Rather than accepting the Bible's description of a catastrophic past, they assume a uniformitarian one, and the geological column is the result.
Rather than recognizing that fossils that exist in close proximity to one another were likely the result of coming from the same ecosystem, independent of time, they assume millions of years between deposits. Selecting indicator fossils that occur rarely (in only specific layers) they disregard the reality that many other fossils appear in multiple sediment layers due to their broad ecological reach, or due to the turbulent nature of the global flood. The assumptions made allow the idea of indicator fossils to seem scientific, though it is far from that. The global ‘stack’ of index fossils exists nowhere on earth, and most index fossils do not usually overlie each other at the same location. So, the column is still hypothetical.
Twenty years ago, fossilized wood found near indicator fossils (belemnites and ammonites) in Southern England was radiocarbon dated to between 20,000-25,000 years old. The indicator fossils located with the wood placed the age of the deposit at 142–205.7 million years old. The challenges of radiocarbon dating negate the specific dates that were indicated, but the fact that any Carbon-14 existed in the sample at all precludes it being over 25,000 years old, let alone over 140 million years old. In this case, indicator fossils are clearly not the reliable feature they claim to be.
"Primitive Man"
How did such a "primitive" culture come to dominate a continent, and with such advanced technology (as exhibited in the skills required to fashion a Clovis point)? This seeming mystery is due to the overwhelming belief in evolution, and mankind’s slow rise from an alleged Stone Age culture. In contrast, the Bible implies that people were intelligent from the very beginning of creation. The mention of Tubal-Cain in Genesis 4:22 indicates that people were forging metals within several generations after Adam. It is a mistake to assume that because people in the past had less technology, they must have been less intelligent. Technology is developed by trial and error, and builds upon former discoveries.
Ancient Egypt
Some even suggest that since the great pyramids are beyond the capabilities of ancient people, advanced extraterrestrials must have constructed them. Or at least, they imparted sophisticated technological knowledge to the "primitive Egyptians." With such theories there is often an overlay of misinformation coupled with a deliberate half truths. For example, it has often been argued that ancient Egyptians could not have possessed the technology to carve perfectly square blocks by using simple hand chisels made of copper (the most commonly used metal of the day).Copper is relatively soft compared to forged metals of today. Such comments omit the fact, for example, that the Egyptians actually used toothed saws, and although made of copper, once a groove was established in the block they would add sand as a further abrasive cutting aid. Getting perfect squares was not a problem as tri-squares have been found, and we know they also used string and plumb bobs to obtain straight lines. Also, we now know that later Egyptians constructed bronze tools and weapons. .
When the ancient Greek historian Herodotus visited Egypt, he wrote about lifting machines that were used to raise large stone blocks being used for construction. Although we might never actually know how the great pyramids were constructed, we can be sure that the Egyptians were innovative and clever, and they most certainly had the manpower. Still, there seems to be no evolutionary evidence showing how the knowledge to build pyramids was developed.
Kurt Mendelssohn wrote:
‘There is no evidence whatever of any technological breakthrough in the methods of quarrying or cutting stone which might account for the onset of pyramid building. All the tools and techniques used by the pyramid builders were in existence well before their time.’
Graham Hancock (an evolutionist) wrote:
"The archaeological evidence suggested that rather than developing slowly and painfully, as is normal with human societies, the civilization of Ancient Egypt, like that of the Olmecs, emerged all at once and fully formed. Indeed, the period of transition from primitive to advanced society appears to have been so short that it makes no kind of historical sense.
"Technological skills that should have taken hundreds or even thousands of years to evolve were brought into use almost overnight—and with no apparent antecedents whatever."
A Reader’s Digest author commented, ‘… the best engineers of today still ask themselves whether they could cut and move huge masses of rock such as those used to build the city. The giant blocks look almost as though a die were used to cut them—a task achieved with none of the resources of modern technology’ and ‘… the architects who designed and built them were men of genius.’ This is the legacy of those who came through the flood, bringing with them technology of the pre-flood world, just as the Bible describes.
Ark Technology
Anti-Biblical scientists also point to the impossibility of primitive men building a massive ark. But ancient people were much more intelligent than such objections give them credit for. Noah knew about such ancient techniques as cross-planking for strength, wood hardening, and the very strong mortice-and-tenon joints.
Ugly Anthropology
The ugly history of evolutionary anthropology is the legacy of humanity. By accepting the idea of primitive man, Native Americans were removed from their lands. Slavery was supported by most cultural anthropologists simply based on the idea of "inferior" or "primitive" man, and genocide was attempted to eliminate the entire Jewish population simply because they were believed to be below the "master race.".
The dispersion at Babel, breaking a large interbreeding group into small, inbreeding groups, ensured that the groups would have different mixes of genes for various physical features. By itself, this would ensure, in a short time, that there would be differences in some of these groups, commonly called ‘races.’ In addition, the selection pressure of the environment would modify the existing combinations of genes, causing a tendency for characteristics to suit their environment. However, there has been no evolution of any genes, no introduction on new genetic information. The genetic information was already present. The dominant features of the various people groups result from different combinations of previously existing genes, created by God. No group was more primitive in genetic composition than any other, although their environment may have required living in primitive conditions, just as it does today. The idea of "primitive man" is another of Satan's lies fueled by his false religion: evolution.
Modern people have endured multiple mutations every generation, so we have degenerated by comparison. In fact, scientifically speaking, we are the most corrupt genetically and mentally of any humans who have ever lived. The cumulative effect of the fall has introduced countless mutations into the perfect DNA God gave Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. With the fall came genetic mutations, and we have been carrying them with us ever since, with each generation adding to the burden.
God's anthropology describes a humanity made in His image, without any distinction of color or creed, bond or free. We were created in His image, and only became something less due to the fall. While we are all fallen creatures as the result of the fall, we are transformed or renewed into the image of God by the Gospel, and this image is then ‘in righteousness and true holiness’ (Colossians 3:10; Ephesians 4:24).
Scripture References
"Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." Genesis 2:7
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28
"They will say, 'Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.'" 2 Peter 3:4
"So Peter opened his mouth and said: 'Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.' " Acts 10:34-35
"and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:24
"and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator." Colossians 3:10