Page 118 - A Historical Lie: The Stone Age

A HISTORICAL LIE: THE STONE AGE

agriculture, and later began using metals, and began establishing so-
cial relationships as their mental powers increased. That "history" is
no different from the story of how the elephant got its trunk.
Gould describes this unscientific approach:
Scientists know that these tales are stories; unfortunately, they are pre-
sented in the professional literature where they are taken too seriously
and literally. Then they become "facts" and enter the popular litera-
ture. . . 39
In addition, Gould also states that these tales prove nothing in
terms of the evolutionary theory:
These tales, in the "just-so story" tradition of evolutionary natural his-
tory, do not prove anything. But the weight of these, and many similar
cases, wore down my faith in gradualism long ago. More inventive
minds may yet save it, but concepts salvaged only by facile specula-
tion do not appeal much to me. 40

Newgrange

This monumental grave near Dublin is agreed to have been
built around 3,200 BCE. Newgrange was already old at a time before
Egypt's civilization had come into existence, and before the birth of
Babylonian and Cretan civilizations. Stonehenge, one of the most fa-
mous stone structures in the world, had not yet been built. Research
has shown that Newgrange was not only a grave, but that its
builders possessed a comprehensive knowledge of astronomy—and
possessed engineering techniques and architectural knowledge wor-
thy of emphasis.
A great many archaeologists describe Newgrange as a technical
miracle. For example, the dome atop the structure is an engineering
marvel all by itself. The single stones, heavy at the bottom and

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