Religion, Archeology and Common Sense

Have you ever noticed that whenever an archaeologist unearths a new discovery their instant conclusion is that whatever they found must have been used by the ancients for religious purposes? Now I understand that religion has been a cultural foundation for most civilizations throughout history, but come on, isn’t it possible that just like us, the ancients also had lives and customs that weren’t centered around their spiritual beliefs?

Recently My husband built a pergola around our front patio. We live in a very windy area so in the true “Tim Taylor” manner, he built it to withstand hurricane force winds. Afterwards we stood back to look at it and joked that hundreds of years from now, some archaeologist will dig it up and proclaim it to be an ancient religious site. Then he will uncover the fire-pit in the center and insist that the local villagers had made sacrifices to their gods on this very site.

We looked at each other and chuckled. Then my husband said, “Now I think I’ll start working on my rock wall down by the garden." We chuckled again - Stone Hinge!