New era, new symbols

The lady of Villiers-Carbonnel, this statuette modeled from a rectangular clay plate is dated around - 4000 and belongs to the Chasséen culture. Its exceptional character is due to the rarity of female figures in the Middle Neolithic. • INRAP

The Neolithic revolution coincides with a transformation of religious attitudes which can be read as a direct consequence of sedentarization. Unlike the nomads of previous eras, the sedentary now live in physical proximity to the dead. These, in fact, are buried very close to dwellings, and sometimes even inside houses.

So a form of “ appears ancestor worship » an indication of which can be found, for example, in the skulls of the deceased which seem to have been used during religious ceremonies. On the other hand, at the same time as the establishment of villages, the first buildings specialized in the link with the supernatural are also built. At Gobekli Tepe, in present-day Turkey, circular dry stone constructions, including large steles representing animals, are considered the first temples in history.

A fertility cult?

It is nevertheless very difficult to get an idea of ​​the beliefs of Neolithic men. These seem partly inherited from previous ages.

As in previous millennia, numerous figurines and frescoes depicting bulls have been discovered.. One can imagine that this animal is associated with a male principle, with virility. There are also many representations of naked women with enlarged sexual features. These could reflect a form of fertility cult and could also reflect concerns more directly related to sexuality.