Hajj, Rituals, and How Humans Survived

What does Hajj have to do with Humanity's successful survival when the Neanderthals died out? For almost a century scientists believed that genetic mutations and natural selection were the only two ways that evolution could occur. But we now know that we are more than the sum of our genes.

In our body there are more than 250 different cell types that contain the exact same DNA bases in exactly the same order; however, liver or nerve cells look very different and have different skills. What makes the difference is a process called epigenetics. Epigenetic modifications label specific regions of DNA to attract or keep away proteins that activate genes. These modifications create, the typical patterns of active and inactive DNA sequences for each cell type.

Moreover, contrary to the fixed sequence of 'letters' in our DNA, epigenetic marks can also change throughout our life and in response to our environment or spiritual/cultural lifestyle changes. So external stimuli like stress and disease as well as internal spiritual-cultural stimuli like beliefs, can be stored in the epigenetic memory of cells. Thus, non-material spiritual and cultural factors can be passed on to future generations biologically and affect future evolution.

Religious activities among Homo Sapiens have evolved over the last 100-150,000 years and therefore are in general, although not in detail, positively adaptive.

If one takes seriously the Biblical claim that humanity was created in the Divine image, or the Qur'an statement that humans were created to be vice-regents with God, spiritual evolution testifies to the creation of creatures who are social co-creators of purpose driven non-material responses to environmental and social challenges.

The evolution of religious activities that enhance the successful survival of humanity is not only concerned with enhancing the survival of our own species.

With the recent domestication of plants and animals; and the very recent industrial revolution, humans acquired a great deal of responsibility for the evolution and survival of many of the species on the planet itself. Thus the behavior of religious people themselves now becomes a factor in the evolution of life on earth.

Religious behaviors are evidence of self-conscious creative thought processes most people associate with Homo Sapiens. Religious behaviors are the creative responses of intelligent minds to certain challenges and situations in life.

As successful bands of Homo Sapiens became more numerous, it became harder and harder to keep them from internal conflict and splitting. Larger groups, or groups with strong alliances, were more likely to win when there was inter-group conflict. They also had reduced negative affects from inbreeding.

Also, technological advances and the accumulation of other know-how gets a jump start as populations expand, according to laboratory experiments reported in the November 13, 2013 issue of Nature, which indicate that improvements in tool design occur more frequently as group size grows.

Anything like religion, that helped larger groups create bonds that were more inclusive than just extended family behavioral norms, would increase survival rates for bands, clans, tribes, and larger tribal communities.

A recent genetic study by Svante Pääbo, a major pioneer in ancient genetics at Germany's Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, found that compared to Homo Neanderthals our species had much greater genetic variety.

Homo Neanderthal genes suggested that sometime prior to 500,000 years ago, Neanderthal numbers decreased and the population stayed small, Pääbo's group determined. Pääbo states: "Genetic diversity among Neanderthals was about one-fourth as much as is seen among modern Africans, and one-third that of modern Europeans or Asians."

Why did ancient Homo Sapiens have a much larger population size than Homo Neanderthals? Until recently the standard explanation was that our species was smarter or more technologically advanced then 'them" But a recently published study proves that there is little real evidence for that species chauvinistic view. (see Neanderthal Demise: An Archaeological Analysis of the Modern Human Superiority Complex by Paola Villa and Wil Roebroeks. ¹PLOS ONE April 30, 2014 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone. 0096424

Over the long run shared religious rituals increased group stability; and even more important, religious pilgrimages enabled growing groups of tribes to remain in contact even long after they had moved far apart geographically.

This is reflected by the first archetypical set of directions given to Homo Sapiens, "God created Adam in His own image, created in the image of God; male and female created He them. God blessed them; and God said to them: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth...'" (Genesis 1:27-8).

And in the specific pilgrimage traditions to non-local sacred spots found in so many religions especially in Islam and Judaism: for the Islamic tradition teaches that the holy site of the Ka'aba was consecrated in the pre-historic days of Adam; and the site of Solomon's Temple was consecrated 40 years later, which was thousands of years before David located and acquired the site where Solomon later built the Jerusalem temple.

Abu Dhar narrated: I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Which mosque was first built on the surface of the earth?" He said, "Al-Masjid-ul-Haram (in Mecca)." I said, "Which was built next?" He replied "The mosque of Al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem)." I said, "What was the period between the two?" He said, "Forty years." Sahih al-Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 55, Hadith Number 585

I used the English word consecrate the site because the word "built" isn't mentioned in the original Arabic hadith. It's a mis-translation of the word وُضِعَ: which has several meanings, such as stationed, situated or positioned referring to location not construction. It doesn't mean "built."

Archaeologists believe they have found one of the oldest burial sites in the world in an Israeli cave, where the well-preserved remains of early humans dating back some 100,000 years were carefully arranged in pits.

The findings at Tinshemet Cave in central Israel, published in an academic journal earlier this year, build on previous discoveries in northern Israel and add to a growing understanding of the origins of human burial.

Of particular interest to archaeologists are objects found beside the remains that may have been used during ceremonies to honor the dead and could shed light on how our ancient ancestors thought about spirituality and the afterlife.

"This is an amazing revolutionary innovation for our species," said Yossi Zaidner, one of the directors of the Tinshemet excavation and a professor of archaeology at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. "It's actually the first time we are starting to use this behavior."

Archaeologists working at Tinshemet since 2016 have discovered the remains of five early humans that date to around 110,000 to 100,000 years ago, according to various technologies.

The skeletons were discovered in pits and carefully arranged in a fetal position, which is known as a burial position, said Zaidner. Many were found with objects, such as basalt pebbles, animal remains or fragments of ochre, a reddish pigment made from iron-rich rocks. These objects, some sourced from hundreds of kilometers (miles) away, had no known practical use for daily life, so experts believe they were part of rituals meant to honor the dead.

Tinshemet Cave is a dark slash in central Israel's rolling hills filled with squeaking fruit bats. Inside and around the cave is an unassuming stone mound which Zaidner calls "one of the three or four most important sites for study of human evolution and behavior during the Paleolithic time."

The Paleolithic era, also known as the Stone Age because of the onset of stone tools, lasted from as early as 3.3 million years ago until around 10,000 years ago. Tinshemet Cave is from the Middle Paleolithic era, roughly between 250,000 to 30,000 years ago.

Some of the Tinshemet researchers' core findings were published in March 2025 in Nature Human Behavior. A key discovery were the remains of five early humans, including two full skeletons and three isolated skulls with other bones and teeth.

Also of note were more than 500 differently sized fragments of red and orange ochre, a pigment created by heating iron-rich stones to a certain temperature - evidence that early humans had the means to create decorative objects. "Here we see a really complex set of behaviors, not related to just food and surviving," Zaidner said.

Using hand chisels and delicate, pen-sized pneumatic drills that resemble dental tools, archaeologists will need many more years to excavate the site. The field work, which started in 2016, is usually done over the summer months. This year, a dozen archaeology undergraduate and graduate students fanned out across the site, painstakingly documenting and removing each fragment of tool, object or bone.

At the entrance to the cave, the skull of one of the early humans is slowly emerging from the rock sediment; it will be years before it is fully excavated.

Tinshemet is exceptionally important to archaeologists because the local climate preserved the bones, tools, and ornaments in good condition, unlike many other parts of the world where these items were lost to time, said Christian Tryon, a professor at the University of Connecticut and a research associate at the Human Origins Program at the Smithsonian Institution, who was not involved in the study.

The skeletons and objects were so well preserved because of ash from frequent fires, likely for rituals. This large amount of ash mixed with rainfall and Israel's acidic limestone, creating optimal conditions for perseveration. One skeleton was in such good condition archaeologists could see how the fingers were interwoven, hands clasped beneath the head.

Tryon said the Tinshemet findings are bolstering earlier discoveries from two similar burial sites dating to the same period in northern Israel - Skhul Cave and Qafzeh Cave. Skhul Cave was excavated almost 100 years ago, and Qafzeh Cave mostly around 50 years ago, when archaeological practices were more haphazard.

"There were so many uncertainties with those sites, but this is confirming it's a pattern we know, and they're really nailing down the dates," Tryon said. Tinshemet has helped archaeologists conclude that burial practices started to become more widespread during this time, representing a shift in how early humans treated their dead.

Some archaeologists believe intentional burials started earlier. In South Africa, the Homo naledi species - an ancient cousin of Homo sapiens - may have been intentionally placing their dead in caves as early as 200,000 years ago. But many archaeologists said the findings are controversial and there is not enough evidence to support the claim of intentional burials.

In ancient times, Israel was a bridge between Neanderthals from Europe and Homo sapiens from Africa. Archaeologists have identified other subgroups of early humans in the area, and believe the groups interacted and may have interbred.

Experts have been studying the two full skeletons brought from Tinshemet for years, but it's still unclear if they were Neanderthals, Homo sapiens, a hybrid population or another group altogether. The mix of subgroups created opportunities for different groups of early humans to exchange knowledge or express identity, said Zaidner.

It's around this time that archaeologists first see examples of early jewelry and body painting, which could be ways early humans started outwardly belonging to a certain group, larger than an expanded family clan, drawing larger boundaries between "us" and "them,".