The African Interregnum: The “Where,” “When,” and “Why” of the Evolution of Religion

摘要: Anatomically modern humans (AMH) emerged about 200,000 years before present (ybp) in Africa , initially differing little from other hominin species . Sometime after 100,000 ybp, Neanderthals displaced AMH the Levant region of Middle East, ending their first excursion out African homeland. About 60,000 a more socially sophisticated strain expanded once again and replaced all resident hominins worldwide. A crucial aspect increased social sophistication was religion. It during time between retreat to conquest world (The Interregnum) that religion emerged. Using archeological, anthropological, psychological, primatological evidence, this chapter proposes theoretical model for evolutionary emergence – an is pin-pointed temporally ecological crucible 80,000 when Homo sapiens (but grace God?) nearly vanished earth.