At https://phys.org/news/2024-04-art-discoveries-eastern-sudan-tale.html … in the desert of eastern Sudan, in what is called the Atbai Desert, there are plentiful rock art sites – along what seem to have been former rivers. They are evidence of former inhabitants living a pastoral life as cattle herders. Many years ago we had an article in an SIS journal about the prevalence of cattle herding in North Africa – and its significance from a catastrophist angle. Nothing like that here – apart from the switch from a wet to a less wet and followed by a dry Sahara. The rock art is said to be over 4000 years in age – but this appears to be a blanket form of dating. What is clear is that savannah conditions existed in what is now a very arid desert zone. Almost all of it involves cattle – singly or in herds. In modern Sudan cattle could not exist in a desert as they require water – and grass. We have lots of that in Britain and Ireland – but not in the Sahara. In other words the rock art goes back to a time when there was a reasonable amount of rainfall. Presumably, prior to 4000bc [rather than 4000 years ago]. From Morocco to the Sudan, the Sahara was green and verdant with lakes and rivers, in the first half of the Holocene. After 6000 years ago the rainfall became less prevalent and a savannah landscape existed in the Sahara. The article dates the wet period from 15,000 t0 5000 years ago – ending roughly around 3000BC. It then tells us that the cattle herding people became dominant between 8000 to 7000 years ago – or after the 6000BC event. This was a sort of mini Dryas episode that involved changes in sea level in various parts of the world. The habitat from 6000BC onwards was therefore perfect for pastoralism – somewhat like the steppe zone of eastern Syria and western Iraq, that existed into the historical period. Sheep dominated the steppe zone, which included northern Arabia, and sheep and goats were also a feature of the Sahara savannah period – and the years afterwards. Sheep were able to cope better with dry periods. What is interesting is that cattle were not only important for meat and milk but they also seemed to play some kind of religious role as well. For example, their horns were deformed to create a preferred shape or curvature, and their skin and fur were decorated. Some of this persisted down into the recent era.
At https://phys.org/news/2024-04-ancient-maya-ballcourts-evidence-ceremonial.html … and once again SIS has published articles on the ritual status of Mexican ball courts. It seems the Maya blessed their ball courts by leaving plants and herbs with religious associations and medicinal properties beneath the plaza floors on which ball courts were built. However, the practise may have applied to a lot of buildings – and not just ball courts. If it was confined to the latter this may mark as evidence that not only the ball court but the actual game played had a religious connotation. Perhaps in mimicking some action of the gods. The article compares the blessed ball courts with the fervour of modern day stadiums and the excitement generated. They do however say the offerings to the gods were made to appease those gods. It was not just a question of good will. What was it about the gods that required appeasement? Is this something to do with sacrifice – animal and human?