A Study on the Paleolithic Ornaments of Iran and Evaluating the Main Models Concerning the Origins of Cognitive Capacity in Human Species

Thus far, three primary hypotheses—Modern Revolution, Cumulative Evolutionary Process, and Multiple Species Model—have been formulated to explain the origin of cognitive capacities and symbolic behavior, drawing from the earliest artistic artifacts created by humans. This research delves into the examination of these three hypotheses by analyzing the oldest archaeological findings related to art and ornaments in the Paleolithic Period of Iran. The objective is to scrutinize and interpret data on ornaments in Africa and Eurasia, with a specific focus on Iran. The study examines existing analyses and hypotheses on the formation of modern behavior and the continuity of symbolic behavior. It questions whether the hypotheses, initially designed to elucidate the emergence of behavioral modernity in African and European populations, adequately account for the findings in Iran. Alternatively, are they grounded solely in pan-European or pan-African perspectives? Through an exploration of these three hypotheses, the author asserts that the oldest instances of self-adornment in Iran, found in Paleolithic cave sites such as Yafteh in Lorestan, Ghar-e Boof in Fars, and the caves of Komishan, Belt, and Altappeh in Mazandaran, challenge the notion that self-adornment, like other facets of behavioral modernity, abruptly emerged around fifty thousand years ago, as posited by the human revolution model. Instead, early symbolic works in Africa by modern humans suggest the development of cognitive capacities and symbolic behavior thousands of years prior to their migration to Eurasia. Subsequently, as humans dispersed from Africa, they transmitted these capacities to other regions based on varying conditions and needs. This research contends that the artifacts of self-decoration (ornaments) in Iran, spanning the New Paleolithic and the Caspian Mesolithic (between 43 and 10 thousand years ago), align with the hypothesis of the Cumulative Evolutionary Process of development. The temporal correlation of these ornaments with the departure of Homo sapiens from Africa and their expansion into other parts of the world, including Iran, supports the notion of a continuous and cumulative evolution. In addition, the multiple species model, utilized by some researchers to elucidate the origins of behavioral modernity, suggests that many defining characteristics of modern behavior, such as ornaments and art, are not exclusive to the Homo sapiens species. Among Neanderthals, there is evidence indicating their capability to produce these artifacts. However, in Iran, there is a lack of discovered remains suggesting the presence of symbolic behavior in this human species. Also, can we use behavioral modernity as a metaphor to describe the human condition, even if not all identified behaviors are universally observed among all Homo sapiens? Furthermore, the paper suggests integrating various disciplines, including ecology, population science, cognition, genetics, botanical archaeology, morphology, paleoclimatology, geology, and experimental studies. The conclusion is drawn that symbolic culture alone cannot serve as a definitive indicator of cognitive capacities, suggesting that different populations with equal cognitive capabilities may produce varied (practical and symbolic) artifacts based on their unique conditions and needs.