https://palladiummag.com/2021/05/17/why-civilization-is-olde...
Some interesting quotes:
> When we find remains of beavers, we assume they built beaver dams, even if we don’t immediately find remnants of such dams. > [...] > When we find Homo sapiens skeletons, however, we instead imagine the people naked, feasting on berries, without shelter, and without social differentiation.
Secondly the development of evolved instinctive behaviour is in no way comparable to human learned cultural behaviour, such as technology. That should be so obvious I’m at a loss that I have to even point it out.
> Along the way to the site, a forgettable visitor’s center greeted me with animations and music evoking primitiveness. Such art is a window into our modern shared subconscious rather than into the culture of a people who erected buildings 11,500 years ago.
I discovered it’s more of a political website, not one typically about archeology, and it made more sense in that context. They seem to have a chip on their shoulder about the perception of older cultures. Which also explains the opening about Turkey’s development.
That said it’s a good read and later on has some interesting history on the development of archeology.
Heh. A much less prosaic version of the story with the mulberry bush in OP's article.