Mental faculties (homo and mulier) and products of the hominids in the Basque Country

Abstract

In our present-day thoughts the universe is the horizon, namely, the whole world, everything in existence. Since we stand very far from knowing all of it according to the domain of «science», we intend to express critically our knowledge on the hominids living in the prehistory of the Basque Country. The paper discusses the views transmitted during the 20th century on the relations held by the hominid species inhabiting the area, with a focus in the municipality of Ataun. For the purpose, we study the social representations conveyed about the relations the hominids had among them. First of all, we address the work carried out by ethnographers, next moving on to the ethnologic approach on oral, plastic art and written production; the study concludes with a view to the work conducted by anthropologists. Sociologists, psychologists and historians are also considered in this pursuit.