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Archaeology

Prehistory and archaeology

Burials, objects and images give real evidence of ritual specialists — and every inference from them is graded.

Archaeology

Strong cases

The Natufian burial at Hilazon Tachtit (c. 12,000 BP) and the Mesolithic Bad Dürrenberg burial include unusual grave assemblages and treatment consistent with a specialist role. Evidence is good; the label applied to it is still an interpretation.

Weaker inferences

Therianthropic figures, cave acoustics, and geometric motifs are suggestive but individually admit multiple readings.

How this atlas grades claims

Every archaeological statement carries a label: attested, plausible, disputed or speculative. Nothing moves up a grade because it makes a better story.

Linked entries

One of 28 entries in the knowledge map. Evidence grades above describe the kind of claim being made, not its certainty on a single scale.