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timeline of early human evolution and possible influence of psilocybin mushrooms

## 🧬 1. Early Hominins (≈ 2.5–1 million years ago) **Species:** *Homo habilis*, *Homo erectus* **Brain size:** ~600–900 cm³ (steady growth from earlier apes) **Lifestyle:** Foragers and scavengers, following animal herds across African grasslands. ### 🍄 Possible Mushroom Exposure: * Psilocybin mushrooms (especially *Psilocybe cubensis*) grow naturally in **cattle dung** — which would have been common in these environments. * Hominins were likely **omnivorous opportunists**, sampling a wide range of plants and fungi. * Accidental ingestion could have produced novel sensory and cognitive experiences. 🧩 *This is McKenna’s key moment* — he speculates that recurring low-dose exposure enhanced **visual acuity and social cohesion**, while higher doses sparked **symbolic thought**. --- ## 🧠 2. The Rise of *Homo erectus* and *Homo heidelbergensis* (≈ 1 million–300,000 years ago) **Brain size:** ~900–1200 cm³ **Advances:** Mastery of fire, coordinated hunting, tool improvement, possible proto-language. ### 🍄 Relevance: If psychedelics had an influence, they may have **reinforced** group rituals or bonding behaviors around shared altered states. There’s no direct evidence, but **communal trance experiences** are known in later human cultures — perhaps an echo of this stage. --- ## 🎨 3. The Cognitive Revolution — *Homo sapiens* (≈ 300,000–40,000 years ago) **Brain size:** ~1300–1500 cm³ **Advances:** Symbolic art, abstract language, burial rituals, mythology. ### 🪶 Archaeological Evidence: * Earliest cave art (Blombos Cave, ~100,000 years ago) shows **geometric abstraction** — possibly reflecting altered states. * Around 50,000 years ago, there’s an explosion of **figurative art** and **shamanic-like depictions** (e.g., therianthropes at Chauvet Cave). * These coincide with the period of **modern human consciousness**, where psychedelics could have been used intentionally in ritual contexts. --- ## 🛕 4. Organized Entheogenic Traditions (≈ 10,000 years ago → present) After the advent of agriculture and settled life, **psychedelic use became ritualized**: * **Soma** in ancient Vedic India (possibly an entheogenic brew). * **Eleusinian Mysteries** in Greece (ergot-based potion *kykeon*). * **Mesoamerican mushroom cults** (e.g., Aztec *teonanácatl*, “flesh of the gods”). At this stage, religion and psychedelics clearly intersect — but humanity was already fully evolved. --- ## 🧭 Timeline Summary | Period | Species | Brain (cm³) | Psychedelic Relevance | Evidence Strength | | --------- | ------------------------------ | ----------- | ------------------------------------- | ---------------------------- | | 2.5–1 Mya | *H. habilis / erectus* | 600–900 | First possible exposure via foraging | 🟡 Speculative | | 1 M–300k | *H. erectus / heidelbergensis* | 900–1200 | Social bonding, proto-ritual behavior | 🟡 Speculative | | 300k–40k | *H. sapiens* | 1300–1500 | Symbolic thought, art, language | 🟢 Moderate (circumstantial) | | 10k–0 | *Modern humans* | ~1400 | Ritualized religious use (global) | 🟢 Strong (archaeological) | --- So in short: ➡️ **Early hominins likely encountered psychedelics.** ➡️ **We can’t prove they caused brain expansion**, but it’s biologically plausible they influenced cognition or spirituality later. ➡️ **Clear entheogenic religion appears only after civilization**, long after our brains had already evolved. #psycadelics #entheogens #evolution #nostr #bitcoin #freepalestine 🇵🇸