昨日は「マンモスの牙を素材にした住宅」に驚かされたけれど、そのような人類のグレートジャーニーでの「北方展開」社会の実相を垣間見せる「墓」も展示されていた。以下、展示解説文。
　〜スンギール遺跡の墓
　スンギール遺跡（34000年前）から発覚された成人男性の墓と、ここに展示してある10歳前後の子ども２人の墓は、例を見ない豪華な副葬品で有名である。それぞれの遺体はさまざまな装飾品におおわれていた。
　衣服やブーツ、帽子に縫いつけられていた3,500個ほどのビーズは、マンモスの牙から削り出されたもので１つ作るだけで1時間近くかかったとされている。まだ成人前の子どもに莫大な富が与えられていることから、スンギールの社会では、身分の違いに加えて権力の相続があったのではないかと考えられている。
床画には赤い顔料がまかれている。副葬品としてマンモス牙製の槍が遺体に沿って置かれ、動物の歯とマンモス牙のビーズは衣服・帽子などに縫いつけられていた。〜
　出アフリカからの人類社会のこの時期では確実に「権力が存在し」しかもそれが世襲というカタチで存在していたことを証言している。かつてこういった人類段階での富の集中・身分格差は想像されてこなかったと思う。農耕社会が出現して以降、富の集中が進行して身分格差が出現した。それ以前は「原始共産制」とでも呼べる社会があったのだと、わたしなどの世代は「戦後教育」的に刷り込まれてきたと思う。
　わたしはそこから出発して左派的な思想を青春前期、自分の中で積み上げていった気分があった。
　そういう「空想主義」がこの墓の実相を見て完全に崩壊し去った。
　たしかに20世紀社会で出現した共産主義＝独裁権力の破綻ぶりは明らか。人類の「欺瞞性の終焉」をお隣の国などに感じる。そもそもの超古代の人類史でのこういう痕跡を明々白々に見せつけられ、驚愕させられた。
　グレートジャーニー期では「集団意思」としての社会統御が不可欠だろう。マンモスのような巨大生物狩猟を実現するためには、戦略実行のための機敏な指揮命令系統の確固たる存在が合目的的。「社会がうまく機能する」ためには、必要な社会システムなのだろう。
　逆に言うとチャーチルが言ったように現代社会が到達した民主主義は「面倒だけれど、これしかない」人類進化の象徴なのだと強く思い至らされる。

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[Concentration of Wealth and Social Inequality as Seen in a 34,000-Year-Old Human Archaeological Site]
Better late than never (lol)—I’m finally studying empirical human history. I’m amazed by the tangible evidence that the driving force behind human development was the “evolution” of command structures and power. …

　Yesterday, I was amazed by the “house made from mammoth tusks,” but the exhibition also featured “graves” that offer a glimpse into the reality of the “northern expansion” society during humanity’s Great Journey. Below is the exhibition description.
　~Graves from the Sungir Site
The grave of an adult male discovered at the Sungir Site (34,000 years ago) and the graves of two children around 10 years old on display here are famous for their unprecedentedly lavish grave goods. Each body was covered with various ornaments.
　The approximately 3,500 beads sewn onto their clothing, boots, and hats were carved from mammoth tusks; it is said that it took nearly an hour to make just one. Given that such immense wealth was bestowed upon children who had not yet reached adulthood, it is believed that Sungir society likely involved not only social hierarchy but also the inheritance of power.
Red pigment was scattered across the floor painting. A spear made of mammoth ivory was placed alongside the body as a grave offering, and beads made from animal teeth and mammoth ivory were sewn onto clothing, hats, and other items. ~
This serves as clear evidence that, at this stage of human society following the Out-of-Africa migration, “power definitely existed” and was passed down through hereditary succession. I believe that, until now, the concentration of wealth and social stratification at this stage of human development had never been imagined. I believe that my generation, shaped by “postwar education,” was indoctrinated to believe that prior to the emergence of agricultural societies, there existed a society that could be called “primitive communism,” and that the concentration of wealth and the emergence of social stratification occurred only after that.
　Starting from that premise, I felt as though I had built up leftist ideologies within myself during my early youth.
　That kind of “utopianism” completely collapsed upon seeing the true nature of this tomb.
　Certainly, the collapse of communism—which emerged in 20th-century society as a form of dictatorial power—is evident. I sense the “end of human hypocrisy” in neighboring countries, for example. But to be confronted so starkly with such traces from the very dawn of human history left me utterly astonished.
　During the “Great Journey” era, social control through “collective will” must have been indispensable. To successfully hunt giant creatures like mammoths, a solid, agile chain of command for executing strategies is essential. It is likely the social system necessary for “society to function properly.”
Conversely, as Churchill said, I am strongly led to believe that the democracy modern society has achieved is a symbol of human evolution—one that is “troublesome, but there is no other choice.”

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Posted on 7月 24th, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 未分類