Land determines!

The mind has physical existence. The mind is related to the brain as the brain is the center of the nervous system.  The human brain is a very complex system which remains as yet to be understood completely. It is assumed that there are about 86 billion neurons, each connected with ten thousand others. Any physical alteration to the brain causes an impact on the mind, no matter whether injury or drugs. Human intelligence is connected with the evolution of the human brain over the time.

One can say the mind is an abstract product of the brain. The brain functioning, though complicated, is mostly based on the bio-electric signals. Rather, the functioning of neurons depends on bio-electricity generated in the body. The mind is overall functioning of the overall excited cells in the brain that fluctuates with several inner and outer reasons, thus changing the expressions, moods, cognition etc. in varying degree depending on the levels of the fluctuations. It is now proven that human body creates electromagnetic fields as well and also responds to external electromagnetic fields. This includes neurons and muscle cells. With magnetic fields, many behavioral effects of different intensities have been reported. For example, a pulsed magnetic field originally designed for spectroscopic MRI was found to alleviate symptoms in bipolar patients while another MRI pulse had no effect. A whole-body exposure to a pulsed magnetic field was found to alter the standing balance and pain perception in other studies. From this, we can surmise that the human brain (Mind) responds to the electromagnetic pulses as the brain too is a generator of such signals of different intensities. 

 It has been observed that sudden changes in geomagnetism too, such as geomagnetic storms, heavily impact on the minds of the people. It is not that all cells or neurons in the brain excited all the time. There are many centers in the brain those alternatively get activated with need and in response to the outer world, geomagnetism is one.

We clearly find that the geomagnetism varies from region to region and essentially it varies with the geological structural variations of the earth's crust. We are aware of the fact that birds use geomagnetism for navigation. Human too is responsive to the geomagnetism that somehow modifies the inherent psychological characteristics, because it affects the brain. The varying degree of the intensity of the geomagnetism from region to region is another factor that shapes regional psychologies those naturally reflects in the language and overall culture. 

Human psychology is closely associated with brain and so the mind. The brain has a physical existence that is made of biological cells of the variety of combinations. It has chemistry, also called as neurochemistry, that helps the overall functioning of the brain, such as generating movement, speaking, thinking, listening, regulating the systems of the body, and countless others. Chemical changes in the brain, intentionally caused or otherwise, impacts feelings and emotions. The overall thinking pattern of the human being is entirely dependent on the biochemical activity of the brain. In the ordinary course, when there is no sudden change in the overall chemistry of the brain, the psychology of the person remains normal.

However, when we say ‘normal psychological condition’, we just want to explain, a psychology that is not disturbing the state of individual's mind in question and others. Till the person exhibits accepted norms of the psychology, in thinking and behavior, as similar as others living in his society, the person is considered to be normal, though he may or may not have special qualities.  But the general psychology of a Mexican and American cannot be the same. Psychology of the Arab and Indian also cannot be the same. In India alone, geographically connected regions, say like Maharashtra and Gujarat, people have different general psychologies. Rather we can see general psychology or the way of thinking of the people changes with the region to region that reflects in their culture. However, before going deep into this issue, we shall focus on the brain.

The brain is a physical entity, as I have already mentioned. The mind is the product of it and so the individual psychology. No brain, if minutely analyzed, is identical with other in chemical composition and so the mind and psychology also are not identical. It is the brain that gives a sense of individuality. Besides genetics, individual brains overall chemical composition is unique. The slightest change in the composition can make a transformation in individual psychology. Sometimes it is done with drugs or extra intake of minerals or vitamins.

Barring few, humans cannot consume minerals directly. They are mostly in compound form and in traces. Most of the minerals he gets from his diet. The food that he uses as his diet is produced from some land. The mineral composition of the diet depends mostly in which land it is produced. The water he drinks too consists of natural minerals and its composition too will depend on through which kind of rocks it has flowed and was gathered.

We are well aware that water of some wells is not considered to be potable for its being hard and of odd taste whereas some well carries potable water. And taste of well water will change with well to well and village to village…it is not because there is problem with water but the amount of the minerals diluted in the water and through which kind of rock-veins the water has been flown into the well. Water will taste according to the diluted minerals and its density. It may remain potable or not. The people drinking the water of certain mineral composition from the wells for generations can shape up their overall chemistry and hence the mindset. The minerals diluted in the water would be in very small, traceable or not, but their certain physical chemistry will slightly change than of the people those drink water a from the different wells having different chemical composition. We have observed that the psychological characteristics of the people residing in neighboring villages sometimes differ drastically. The reasons mainly are rooted in varied geographical structure with a different set of the chemistry. 

In the cosmopolitan era, we have forgotten many things. But if we probe it will dawn on us that the food grains of a certain kind and produced in certain regions had different tastes. Brinjals grown around Krishna River and chilly of Kolhapur had distinct taste and flavor. What brings that? Certainly the mineral distribution in the lands where they are grown! The crop consumes the minerals spread in the soil and gives the distinct flavor. We find certain flora and fauna in particular region and in adjoining regions we don't. We find some people living in certain regions are lazy and in other very active, though climatic conditions are same! 

But just imagine the era, not far back…just a few decades ago…the people living in the certain regions used to consume the food grown in the same lands and drank water that had a similar mineral composition for ages. 

What would be the effect?

The overall body and thus brain will essentially contain the chemical composition that was in their regular diet. The people living in certain regions rich with some minerals in the soil and devoid of some show certain genetic diseases. Many diseases occur because of lack of some or other mineral or excess of some minerals. In the body (and brain) minerals are in compound form. A chemical imbalance can cause the psychological stresses, depressions anxieties etc. These ailments are treated with supplementary minerals and vitamins. The mineral imbalance in the body reflects in the behavior of the person. The natural input from the diet from a particular region and the habitat of the person in the same region would naturally shape up the mind in such a way that to him it will not ever occur that he has some problems or qualities that are the product of the land he has been residing in for ages. 

Human genetics too is affected by regional geological differences. The regional genetic marks those are so far detected also are a proof to make our statement true. Otherwise how the scientists could define the regional genes or origin of the genetic influx? 

Human being is thus, though separate from land, still he always is rooted with the land he lives in.

The overall chemical composition, though differing slightly from person to person, will remain identical in a broader sense in every human being in the certain region over the time. His genetic structure too will be impacted by the land he lives in. Geomagnetism also is another factor that heavily influences the human mind which also varies from geological region to region. 

And so will be impacted his general psychology, his way to look at the outer world and the way he expresses will be somewhat identical that makes his culture and language.

We will see in the next chapters, in details, after all it is land which determines the general psychology and language he speaks!

General Psychology of the people and Cultures...

 The culture is the material and spiritual expression of the human society. Whatever human society converts from the natural resources to useful objects and develops ways of expressions, including languages, together form the culture. Rather culture is shared patterns of the behavior, social habits, religion, music, arts, and architecture along with all artificial creations of the material utilities those are expressed through the human mind. Culture is not individual but collective expression. Cultural psychologists often discuss on how the culture enters into the psychological process of the individuals. But let us not forget here that the culture plays dual role…culture influences psychological processes of the individuals and originally the collective psychologies draft the culture. So, in a way, both are interdependent. Every culture is distinct because the psychological patterns the living in the different regions are distinct. The land the people living in plays a major role in shaping up the psychological patterns of all the individuals that live within the geological boundaries. The geological factor so far has remained neglected which in fact needs more attention. 

We have seen in the last chapter how the human civilizations did evolve through the long passage of the time. Though almost all the cultural phenomena’s are almost contemporary in every age, the ways of expressions in different regions are remarkably different. We can attempt to attribute such differences to the available resources in every region. For example, the Indus region lacked in the stone quarries for the alluvial plains, created by the perennial river sediments. They used mud and mud bricks, followed by baked bricks in later times to build their homes and fortifications. The human being used the natural resources available around to meet his needs. We find stone used to build ancient settlements wherever it was abundantly available. Still, we find the settlement patterns differ significantly. It is pertinent to note here, using available natural resources is not a surprise but the way he distinctly used them to meet his needs is surprising. The archaeological proofs of the same era across the globe exhibit how one civilization differed from another. The settlement patterns of BMAC are not same as found in Andronovo culture or any other culture contemporary to it. Though Indus civilization was in close contact with Mesopotamians, we do find from archaeological proofs that the settlement patterns differed. Both the civilizations used seals, still, there is a remarkable difference in both, in symbolism as well as in language and script.

The religious beliefs, languages, architecture, mythologies and literature…we do not find any close relationship except some vague similarities in their original core. The way they are modified in different regions it has its own flavor. It is human mind, sometimes thought to be functioning universally alike, but except for a need to express and make life comfortable, it courses in its own way. The regional or territorial expressions differ significantly.

Geographic subcultures can be defined with its typical topography, climate and geological characteristics those heavily influence the attitudes and behaviors formed as a result of psychological bounds. An individual moving to a new geographic location will not generally adopt the geographically bound attitudes and behavior. (The Influence of Geographic Subcultures in the United States, Kenneth A. Coney, Arizona State University) This simply does mean that the psychology is closely associated with the region a person lives in. While moving from one to another geographic region, his originally formed psychological patterns hardly do change. How these regiono-psychological traits do form?

Culture and psychologies are interdependent. True. Individuals living in a culture are influenced by their surrounding culture. The mind is impacted by the surroundings he lives in. Culture penetrates his psyche making some influence on his individual behavior. True. Culture and psychology thus, is related. However, cultural psychologists do not give heed to the major question why a culture develops in a specific manner?  Why it becomes so distinct from others? What are the forces those govern the minds of the people living in a particular region and society that they generally exhibit their ethos in almost same fashion?

We must differentiate here between the individual psychologies and collective psychologies. In a way, individual human lives in the oceans of psychologies! Though individual psychology has its dependent special characteristics, they exhibit, in a normal way, ethos of the general psychologies of the region.

There are always some common traits those are found in particular set of the people living in common region. Western people, the psychologists agree, are more individualistic. The western psychologists treat psychology as a tool to solve the individuals’ psychological problems. The individualism reflects very well in the psychologists itself. Naturally cultural psychology, though an emerging branch, rather is focused on the effect of the culture on the individual psychologies. Cross-cultural psychologies too do not speak differently. However, we have to explore the collective psychologies that reflect in overall cultural ethos including languages/dialects and the way they are spoken.

Europeans started thinking of the world, after 16^th century for their need of their expansionist need of the time. Before, to them, the unknown world was rather mythical. Columbus’ account of the new world he came across is mythical. Megasthanese’ account of India, in third century BC, too was mythical. Rather mythologizing the material world that they encountered was a pleasing phenomenon to them. Rather, we can say, it was almost a universal general psychology to see everything in the mythical form that was barely or superficially known. However, the patterns of myth-making were not similar everywhere. And those traits still are surviving in the human being.  

After the era of enlightenment, Europe became technologically advanced and started looking at the rest of the world more practically. In a way, we can call it cultural shift. The cultural shift caused by the collective minds those wanted to see the world differently and exploit the world to their benefit. We need to differentiate here between spiritual culture and materialistic culture. Materialistic culture may change with the technological advances or economic prosperities or downfalls, but again the material culture, though utilitarian, the spiritual traits of the culture are too hard to change.

Europeans looked at the other people of the globe rather in contempt in this period. They divided the world in races like Semitics, Aryans. blacks, brown and yellow. The racial egotism, that always was part of their psychologies exploded because they came at the advantageous stage because of technological advances. Actually, they had loathed Jews and Muslims from historical times. The religious struggle they had in historical times with Muslims and Jews now turned to become a racial struggle. The rise of the Aryan theory was, in fact, an outcome of their present technological advances those politically proved the Europeans superior over all other races. The supremacist psychological traits are always hidden in the inferiority complexes those form the part of the subconscious collective psychology. 

The racial categorization of the humans living across the globe was an insane idea, but the creation of the Europeans. In a way, it was a collective explosion of the inferiority complex of the Europeans of 18^thcentury. It is not yet subsided as still, they are on a hunt to search for their original homeland! The people those are confused about their own roots are certainly pitiable!

But this phenomenon is directly related to the collective psychology of the people. Every society living in different regions have characteristically distinct psychologies that sometimes do clash with each other.

So, as the cultural psychologists propose that the culture penetrates individual and responds according to his individual psychology this may be correct, considering above points. “Theory of others” comes true when a cultural group confronts other cultural group/s.

We need to think and elaborate over why, first of all, independent cultural groups evolve? Why the collective identities are needed or developed, no matter even if religious? Religion is one of the parts of the culture. How cultures do change suddenly or gradually? How we can differentiate Gujrathi people from Maharashtrians for their way of thinking? There are many examples we need to think on.

Also, there are forced cultures. Forced cultures would mean an attack on individual and collective psychologies. We need to think, how a human being would react to such cultural enforcements. Would he adapt to the forced cultures or would create some other distinct cultures with the admixture of his own and enforced? Or will he adapt to the other cultures in his own way without changing his thinking patterns?

We must keep in mind here that there is a close relationship between the regions of specific geological features and the cultures developed in their folds. I will show in next chapters that the way of thinking and expressions is interlinked with the geological formations of the regions wherever the particular set of the people live for generations. Superficially geographically connected lands may have an entirely different group of language speaking people with their unique culture setting them apart from their close neighbors.

Geological features include geomagnetism, local gravitation, the chemistry of the rocks and soil, altitudes and the formations beneath the crust of the earth. The people living in the company with these features, eating food yielded from the same soil and drinking water from the rivers and wells having the flavor of specific diluted minerals/compounds existent in the land that has its own combinations, a result of the specific geology of the specific region. All this makes an inevitable impact on the physical features and psychology of the people living in specific geologically formed regions. There are sufficient proofs to show the relationship between geology and general psychology of the people, which we shall see in next chapters.  

Journey of civilizations

When we speak of civilization, we mean the materialistic and spiritual expressions of the people living in certain regions. From ancient times many civilizations have flourished in different parts of the world. Some have collapsed or merged with other mighty civilizations or have changed with the time but showing its continuity of basic elements through its course. 

How do we differ between civilizations? What criterions normally do we use to differentiate one civilization from others? We normally classify the civilizations by their architecture, religious beliefs, war and other technologies, script, languages, mythologies, burial practices those indicate life-after-death concepts. There could be some other aspects but what I have enumerated are major those easily can help us to differentiate the civilizations. When we speak of Egypt, Pyramids automatically appear before our eyes and when we talk of the Indus-Ghaggar civilization seals, planned cities, brick-paved roads and great baths do flash in an instant in our minds. So, architecture becomes a major part of our general classification of the civilizations.

We know about some of the languages spoken in the ancient civilizations, thanks to the written records and their decipherments, same time we do not know what were the languages spoken in many civilizations for lack of the written proofs or inability to decipher them in an absence of Rosetta stone. Indus script and linier A of Greeks are fine examples of this. We may find that the scripts of ancient civilizations, though mostly an independent development, their influences still are detectable in the areas of shadow civilizations. Such as Greek early script was introduced to them by Phoenicians which was further modified to suit the various dialects of Greeks.

We also are aware that every civilization had independent religious concepts and mythologies.  We also find from the archaeological layers the changes in the pantheon of the deities and their changed priorities and evolution in the ritualistic priorities. However, some superficial similarities, too, do occur baffling the archeologists and linguists prompting them to propose theories of “outside influences” caused by migrating people. There are examples here for such theories those have been fought viciously by the scholars. For example, from eighteenth century onwards Aryan Invasion Theories were in vogue those claimed migrations ns of mighty Aryan Race from some hypothetical original homeland, riding in spoke-wheeled chariots, subjugating other contemporary races enforcing their “polished language” and culture over them. The theory did no good to the world. Rather the world experienced genocide and destructive Second World War. Later, the theory was replaced with dispersals of the Proto Indo-0European speakers from some hypothetical original homeland However; underlined meaning remained the same, racist and supremacist. 

However, we cannot attribute all the time such migrating hoards for causing immense impact on the already established civilizations. We should not forget here that the pre-civilization era, when agriculture was not invented and human being in bands was roaming in the known regions for search of the food and grazing lands for his cattle. This was the period that roughly begins from 60,000 BC and continues till 10,000 BC. In this vast span of the time, human beings learnt many things…language was one of them. Faculty to speak is as old as hundred thousand years. From proto-abstract-sounds meaningful words were developed, exchanged between the tribes and thus multiplying the basic vocabulary. Since the human transactions were limited, not so complex, language too was rudimentary. All the vocabulary was not independent innovation but accumulated through the exchanges as well. Not only vocabulary, the religious concepts too did evolve during this era. The technologies, such as stone weaponry, stone-utensils and artificial skin-clothing and shelters too were developed during this era. The geographical sense and regional affinities too must have been evolved in this transitional phase when he transgressed from hunter-gatherer man to pastoral man. About 40000 years ago we find sudden cultural explosion across the globe that involved from jewelry making to specific funeral practices.  We cannot attribute such cultural innovations taking place in single tribe and at a single location but can attribute them to the continuous exchanges, imitations, modifications and independent or joint advancements out of the need of the human being. The stone weaponry is a common feature of all the human species spread across the globe. It was not invention of any single tribe, but of all the tribes of those times. The early inventions mostly have been out of the grave necessity of survival against all odds.

Era of foragers must have been too interesting in many aspects. First of all a vital question remains unsolved that whether early humane first appeared on some certain place (e.g. Africa) and then later dispersed to populate the globe or had it been the multi-regional creation is a hotly debated topic amongst scholars today. Though I support multi-regional model for Out of Africa theory for single location model has its own limitations loaded with Biblical Adam-Eve fantasies.

Anyway, there is no doubt that the early human was forager. But the most important question would be how he must have been deciding on the directions to move? He mustn’t have roamed aimlessly to any direction where he hoped for food and game. In all probabilities he must have known the regions where he could find enough food and shelter. People always accommodate with the known environments and the available food. The regional food habits vary greatly even today. Then in ancient times such variation naturally would be greater. 

Early populations, about 60,000 years ago were far less, could be one person per square kilometer at the most. The earth was going through the Ice Age during those times. However, far remote and climatically hostile regions, such as Antarctica and nearer regions to the North Pole must have avoided by him. He had formed bands, mostly consisting of the blood related people. He soon must have learnt what was edible and what was not. But the process wouldn’t have been simple. He would have tried various vegetation, fruits and meat. After lot many accidents or catching fatal diseases he would have selected carefully his diet. He must have known soon which animal were dangerous and who weren’t! As we find regional variety of flora and fauna and forestry, changing seasons and its influence on its growth, he too must have observed minutely the change in the nature with seasons. Why his roaming must been limited to the known regions is only because he must have preferred the places where he could find known food and game…and even known tribes with whom they could establish dialogue.

For the fear of unknown, he must have limited his life within the known regions where he could feel safety and assurance of survival, is but natural.

But how far he could have been reaching? There is no material proof available to indicate a single tribe’s journey, its original place and its travel. However, there are suggestive hypotheses that the some tribes had travelled across the oceans to populate remote islands in ancient past. What forced them out of their place of origin or region may remain speculative. It could be either because sudden climatic changes forced them to leave the known regions or it was an eternal zeal of the human being to know the unknown, risking life sometimes!

The scholars do admit that the foraging communities had lot of leisure time. What they needed from the surrounding was the food. Working few hours a day would be enough for them. Rest of the time, unlike other animal kind, there must have been attempts to communicate, making tools and weapons from the stones and bones. Evenings they might have been dancing with their early rudimentary vocal songs, may be meaningless yet with some meaning they only could comprehend. The language, we can find, has roots in the early life of the foragers.

While looking at the recorded archaeological civilizations, we cannot limit our search at that point but have to go back at the earliest era when the modern human being emerged on the earth and started thinking and express. Forager man could think. He could differentiate between useful and useless, fearsome and friendly. The elements of the early religion too can be attributed to the foragers. From archaeological proofs we find the burial practices getting more and more systematic. He must have some ideas about life after death otherwise the burial practices wouldn’t have been felt necessary. He must have envisaged the good forces, invisible but to him existent and so the bad forces. Among tribes they must have discussed vehemently on them, creating the mythologies out of their past experiences or from the rudimentary legends flown to them. Need of the creating new words for deities, demons, variety of the abstract forces and extant technologies and even flora-fauna thus was the necessity. The cave paintings of France and Bhimbetka of India give us clear hints of their life styles and weapons used in hunting, their dances and their earlier domesticated animal.

The tribal identities from kinship must have become stronger with the strengthening of the tribal egos. The totems were the early identities of the tribal clans. The struggles over power within the tribe must have caused the branching of the tribes or bloodbath within the tribes. However overall population must have been fluctuating for the epidemics and natural calamities to which as yet he had no cure. Many tribes could have become extinct. Otherwise, it is affirmatively has been proved from the fossil organisms that the health of the foragers was often better than of the people of early farming communities.  The average life expectances, though low, but there have been evidences that many persons lived up to sixty-seventies.

However, no matter the first appearance of the human was a single location phenomena or multi-regional event, the fact is the territorial consciousness in the foragers was a phenomena that became foundation of the early civilizations.

How they envisaged the geography? Did they know distant regions? Had they been roaming round the earth during foraging era? We must look at the facts that the foragers had limited their roaming in the known territories and frequently came across the same tribes. Every tribe naturally had multiple tribal contacts thus sharing the information of the far away tribes. We can call it ‘Territorial Tribal Culture’ those had many features in common. Asia, Africa and Europe are the continents those are interconnected and yet isolated for their peculiar geographical features. Hence naturally the continental interaction would be far less, but not that insignificant as well.  Every continental tribe’s internal and external interaction naturally would be in a varying degree. The exchanges, linguistics and of technological advances or imitations did spread across the territories because of this. We find many archaic words common in many parts of the world because of such exchanges. However, the fact remains that though there are many common words, they could not retain original pronunciations and at many a places, meanings too drastically changed. That way, there is no linguistic root to any word because there is no way to find where the word originated and what it was meant originally!

As far the known world of the individual tribe, what we understand from the history that the people did not know farthest regions. They didn’t know at all the geographical end of their known world. They thought the region intimately known to them was center of the universe. The territorial psychologies are interesting that exhibit specific patterns. Those psychologies we find reflected in their religions, mythologies and architecture and so many other cultural aspects. We find From Avesta, Rig Veda and Egyptian scriptures that they knew the world, about five hundred square miles from their respective locations. They mythologized the territories those were heard of but not seen. 

Rive Rasa (Tigris) appears in Avesta and Rig Veda as mythical boundary of their world. Hence the claims that new people appeared to effect cultural changes in any civilization are doubtful.

Although, as a human being, it is but natural that the fundamental features of the psychological functioning would be same, we clearly can see that the psychological patterns changing with every region. The patterns reflect in the culture, in the language and spirituality of every regional culture. No matter how geographically societies are close still speaking varying dialects.  We should call it “Regional Psychology”. We should also find out why the regional psychologies differ to such extent even within the people of same ethnicity and religions!  

Agro-revolution

Invention of the agriculture has been a turning point in the life of the early foragers those had turned to pastoral society by 20,000 BC. Agriculture changed his life dramatically. Although, because of excavated archaeological proofs, it is believed that the agriculture was invented around 7000+ BC, the agro-era in reality can be even older by few more thousand years than that of assumed era.

We do not know when exactly it came to the mind of the pastoral people that he needs not to wander for grazing lands and forests for food and fodder, but he could produce it. He must have observed the cycle of the nature, seeds sprouting to grow like the same vegetation. He would have come across the variety of wild plants of maze or other food. He could have actually consumed them. The knowledge of re-growing of the same vegetation after showers must have been acquired from ancient times. He even could have applied it for the fruit-yielding trees by sowing the seeds and would have observed for years in awe the growth of it, if spared by nature. However, it seems he didn’t think he actually could produce food by systematic application of the cultivation.

However at about, say ten thousand years ago, there seems sudden rise in agricultural practices across the globe. The Mehrgarh and Zargos sites are the archaeological sites those are examples of the oldest agriculture practices. What could be reasons for almost all the tribes turned to agriculture? ? It couldn’t have been new invention, the agriculture. Could have been practiced arbitrarily, may be as a fun. But he didn’t practice it as a mean of livelihood, or at the least it would seem so. We have to find what exactly could have happened that the suddenly foragers/pastorals turned to the agriculture and led to the settled life.

Climatic changes

There is a close association of the climatic changes in rise and falls of the human civilizations. It has not only forced human being to change its living ways but cultural patterns as well.  Recent examples are the decline of Mesopotamian, Indus and Chinese civilization came to decline about 2000 BC because of the gradual climatic change. The living patterns did change because of sudden rise into the aridity because it forced to look for new ways to survive under changed climatic scenario.

We have to look into the climatic history of the earth. The human being of those times had experienced cold era which is called as ice age. The period was more hostile, difficult for survival and cultivation. However, the genetic makeup of fossilized bones, dating back about 37,000 years ago, found in Western Russia suggests the continuous history of the Europeans. However, ice age, it seems, kept populations limited. But people largely lived in the same areas during the ice age and after. This is evident from the DNA of Kostenki man that was similar to the 24000 year old boy found in central Siberia.  This also indicates to the fact that the people were more rooted with their known territories irrespective of the climatic conditions.

About 12 thousand years ago or little before the Holocene age began. This was warmer age. The ice melt caused in rising of the sea levels, by almost 115 feet’s. Some animal species became extinct because of this climate change. There could have been population loss during the transitional phase of climate change. Human being too was forced to change his life style. The innate urge of the survival made him to find new ways for livelihood. Our ancestors were product of Ice Age. They had experienced glacial era and had adjusted their life style accordingly with it.

However, the change in the nature, though not sudden, must have forced him to look for new ways for survival. It is quite possible that the humans would have extended their settlements to earlier uninhibited regions for end of the Ice Age would have emptied many regions of ice caps.

The beginning of the agrarian life coincides with the beginning of Holocene. This means this era has very significant and meaningful in our ancient history. Agriculture helped early agrarians to settle down in respective regions wherever he could permanently cultivate. The river valleys were natural choice for assurance of water supply and fertile lands. This was a revolutionary turn in human history. It dramatically changed his lifestyle and social references. In real sense he got rooted to the land. The territories or the regions he used to be wander about already had become further limited because of the agriculture.  

As humane started settling down, except for neighboring settlers, his exchanges of the cultural advances became limited. The settled life demanded for various inventions and innovations. Implements for the agriculture, permanent houses and safeguards would have been his first need to adjust with the new life. Early architecture, crops, various utensils, potteries etc. were outcome of the needs of the people of those times.

However, this transitional phase too wouldn’t have been easy. The wars, aggressions to occupy fertile lands by the large tribes would have been evident. Many smaller or weak tribes would have been subjugated, even enslaved. The situation persisted for long period of time in human history. Even the otherwise peaceful sounding Indus civilization had to build fortification walls around their cities for protection. 10,000 BC onwards till 5000 BC we find the growth of the rural settlements all over the globe. Many such ancient village sites are found and excavated. Gobelki Tepe, Nevali Kori, Jhusi etc are such ancient sites.  Many more has been erased from the pages of the history for either repetitive use of the same sites for new constructions or completely ruined because of their abandonment or bringing them in use for other purposes after they were vacated. However, the excavated sites give us fair idea about the technological advances of those times.

As the complexities of the settled life grew, the languages too took mostly independent course based on the linguistic accumulations from the wandering past. However, it clearly seems, this caused to give rise to the net of the languages. Many words, concepts, technological features, epithets, personal names to plant names, those occur in the various pan-territorial languages have roots in the remote past of the human being.

We cannot solve the mystery of such linguistic similarities by formulating “migration” theories but by the simple understanding of the human past.

Anyway, human beings gradually started settling around 10000 BC. The archeological proofs of early settlements and agriculture have been surfaced almost everywhere. In India, Kenoyer has shown from the archeological proofs that the people of Indus-Ghaggar Civilization traded with the people of Iranian plateau since 7000 BC. In Gangetic plains too the agricultural practices and settlement have been discovered that too date back to the same period, or even earlier to that. In Zargos region of Iran archeologists have recently discovered the proofs of agriculture that dates back to 12000 BC. In short, 

we can surmise that by 10,000 BC human being was almost settled on the globe. We do not trace any massive migrations taking place after that. The ambitious warring classes might have moved to make military expeditions, but largely the populations did not leave their habitats, even if they were subjugated and enslaved. They, in course of the time changed their settlement patterns, vacated earlier settlements to live in new and advanced ones. Towns and villages and temples or sanctuaries gradually were developed. The food produce in fertile lands, with help of the advanced farming equipment's and innovative ideas of canals, grew to phenomenal extent. The huge granaries found in IVC stands proof for the surplus agricultural produce. Trade of the artifacts, food and other agricultural products, such as cotton, begun with other distant civilization. Indus trade with Mesopotamia, Middle East and Iran is established by the archaeological finds.

It can be said that the cultural contact with Semitic and so-called Indo-European speaking territories through trade was simultaneous.  It is a wonder, even then the scholars want to deny Semitic influence over North-West languages and claim influence of the so-called IE languages. It is equally possible that the North-Western languages of those times had some influence on Semitic languages. However, such influence means only the exchange of vocabulary and some cultural concepts. The fundamental cultural traits, including languages would have remained independent.

The civilizations thrived, reached their heights of the glory and because of the climatic changes in the end of second millennia BC the downfall began almost everywhere. It gave rise to the political upheavals. It forced people to change their settlement and life patterns. The centers of the urbanizations changed and moved to the wet regions. It does not mean the people moved to occupy new urban centers. They largely remained in the same regions adapting to the changed socio-economic conditions.

The overview of the human journey tells us that the territorial and regional consciousness in human being has very early traits. The regions they occupied from early era left inerasable imprint in his lingo-ethnic identity. It has nothing to do with the racial concepts. It was land that helped evolve the human psychology and thus culture. The early settlement patterns of the human being, though superficially same, in course of the time, we find, every civilization acquired its own recognizable distinct face.  

After rise of the agrarian era, the regional languages did not remain same. The religious practices and the pantheons of the deities did not remain the same. Mythologies too took independent paths, though the basic elements, such as division between good forces versus evil forces and their epithets had roots in his wandering past. Languages too started evolving independently, based on the accululated capital from his territorial past. Way of expressions changed with civilizations to civilizations. The civilizations albeit were in contacts, mostly for trade and in case of war like situations, but one civilization could not erase the cultural past of the others, except notable exchanges. We find the polity had developed to the extent that the written treaties between the two parties to the war were signed. We have a fine example of such treaty in form of the Bogazkoy treaty that was signed between Hittites and Mitannians.

What we can understand from above is that the global cultures started evolving about hundred thousand years ago. We find the traces of his advances from, though rare, the findings from the ancient past. For example we have 75000 year old engraved ochre chunks from South Africa (Blombos), we have 60000 year old engraved ostrich eggshells from South Africa, and also we have from all over the world the paintings in rock shelters that contain geometric symbolism, suggesting the symbolic communication from 40000 years ago. The symbols are repetitive and believed by the scholars that they must have been communication symbols. Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh of India too is a fine example of this where we find the early human being expressing through art depicting day to day affairs, including his hunting expeditions and dances.

The territorial sense in him must have been evolved around 40,000 years ago or even earlier when he limited his wandering within known geographies instead of roaming aimlessly. He must have acquired knowledge of the regions, flora-fauna, animals, birds, climates and the tribes, as friends, foes or neutral, within those territories.

From archeological evidences we can be certain that the population distribution across the globe almost was completed by this time. Later on the social cultures thrived almost independently. They naturally were aware of the neighboring and distant reachable civilizations, with which they traded the essentials even risking lives. We have proofs that the Indus people, known as Melluha to the Mesopotamians, had established their trading colonies in Mesopotamia. Such meaningful migrations and settlements in foreign lands may have been a global practice of those times.

The Indo-European language theorists often claim that the invention of the spoke-wheeled chariots and taming of the horses by the PIE speakers and their aggressions being the sole cause for the formation of a dominant language family. This is against the history of the civilizations. Rather net of the languages was already formed when the earliest civilization era had begun! The tribes were sharing basic vocabularies for long millenniums while they were on move within the known territories before they finally started to settle and there onwards took largely independent course of the linguistic developments! Sine basics were almost similar, developed with joint efforts, finding such common elements couldn’t have been a surprise at all! The net of the languages was already in place.  Hence, the so-called Proto-Indo-European language family needed not dispersion of some group of the people that had supposedly developed that language independently and spread it with migration is an overstated and imaginary theory, nothing else. Rather we need to find, still, why there are different linguistic groups and cultural traits across the globe?

However, we can note from the excavated pre-history that the civilizations were prospering almost on every continent and territories and regions almost simultaneously. Every civilization had their own face and characteristics to speak of, exhibiting their distinct identities. They had their independent religious beliefs and most importantly the languages. Roots of the languages, though common in every territory, the languages of the every civilizations differed significantly, almost unintelligible except of those spoken in neighboring regions. Also we can find overlapping zones of the languages and as we proceed deeper in the regions we come across entirely different set of the language.

Not only this, with every region, we find significant changes in the cultures, no matter whether linguistic or architectural or religious beliefs, though largely they fall under a common single civilization. The pronunciation patterns too change significantly, no matter even if they are speaking similar dialect! We can notice easily the patterns of the lifestyle changing with region to region. Many factors associated with the culture thus can be observed taking noticeable forms with change of the geographical region.

But we have to think on, why so?

Why we do find closely adjoined regions exhibiting distinct cultural features including languages? Why cultural patterns must be changing though the people are of same ethnicity and language families? Why, although the religion being same, the regional religious beliefs, practices and expressions do change? Why some of the regional mythologies too differ significantly though they have single source or origin?

We have seen the journey of the civilizations, though brief and cursory, has ancient roots. The known civilizations of the globe exhibit their independent expressions through religions, architectures, settlement patterns and languages. Such distinctive features of the cultures still do survive in the era of globalization.

There shouldn’t be any doubt that, it certainly is the regional psyche of the people that exhibits through their cultural behaviors. We need to examine what makes the people of the certain regions to behave culturally different than the other regions. Rather we shall probe whether region has its own qualities that make human being culturally behave accordingly or the cultures are independent of it!