this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2024
846 points (99.1% liked)

Science Memes

10501 readers
2483 users here now

Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!

A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.



Rules

  1. Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
  2. Keep it rooted (on topic).
  3. No spam.
  4. Infographics welcome, get schooled.


Research Committee

Other Mander Communities

Science and Research

Biology and Life Sciences

Physical Sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences

Practical and Applied Sciences

Memes

Miscellaneous

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] juergen@lemmy.sdf.org 86 points 1 week ago (8 children)

Somewhat boringly, the archaeologists posit that the bones may have been associated with cult practices.

Sometimes I wonder what archaeologists a few millennia down the line will think about small polymer statuettes of human females with disproportionately large breasts, but without discernible genitalia...

[–] Donkter@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

Gaming is often hard to distinguish from cult behavior.

[–] Windex007@lemmy.world 66 points 1 week ago (3 children)
[–] Chiarottide@lemmy.world 32 points 1 week ago

To be fair, almost anything not strictly necessary for survival is technically a ritual. Birthday party? Ritual. Saying "bless you" after someone sneezes? Ritual. Giving your sheep ankle bones to the winner? Ritual. Shaking hands? Believe it or not, ritual.

[–] Wrufieotnak@feddit.org 8 points 1 week ago

It's a good one, but it is missing the fertility ritual angle.

[–] juergen@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 1 week ago

This is gold :D

[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 44 points 1 week ago

Cult and religious are archaeologist-speak for we don't see a practical purpose and have no idea. I'm going to hold on to "they buried the god-tier sheep bone gamer girl with her wins." Come to think of it, god-tier equals cult figure, maybe you can pray to her for wins

[–] solsangraal@lemmy.zip 33 points 1 week ago (1 children)

LOL at first i thought you were talking about weeb anime figurines, then remembered barbie and ken are things

[–] lone_faerie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 23 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Looking through an archeological lens, sheep bone games and cult practices probably look the same. Imagine thousands of years from now, they'll probably see like football fans as a cult.

[–] juergen@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 6 days ago

Thousands of years from now?

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] Liz@midwest.social 6 points 1 week ago

It very strongly depends on how you're using the word cult.

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week ago

If those PVC figures also loose their paint, then they will think they weren't painted in the first place. A new style of statues will emerge by the name of "neo-millenialism", who will make gray-colored anime figurines without understanding anything about anime at all.

Then a linguist finds a bunch of image files and documentation on how to read them, and reproduces them. the images will be photographs of these anime figurines. The followers of the neo-millleniallism (calling themselves gatekeepers) accuse the linguist of fabricating such images and making up such stories like their fertility goddess being actually called Super Sonico, and in true 4chan church fashion, they block a pool from access until the linguist will admit their scam. The gatekeepers instead being laughed off, with the worst of them being fined.

[–] Malgas@beehaw.org 12 points 1 week ago

There's a running gag in archaeology that variations on "ritual purposes" actually means "I have no idea what this was for".

That said, there has historically been a connection between certain divination practices and games of chance, so this could easily be both.

[–] Godnroc@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

"D'at's hawt."