Culture is not a measure of superiority or advancement. It arises naturally from human activities, exchanges, and interactions. Many elements of culture — art, music, symbols, rituals — go back tens of thousands of years. Cave art, petroglyphs, counting marks on bones, burials, and early rituals all show that humans (and even Neanderthals) created cultural expressions long before writing existed.
Archaeological evidence shows:
From these early practices emerged ideas that shaped humanity: language, mathematics, religion, symbolism, and storytelling.
Compare that to writing, or even numbers. The earliest finds we have showing that people were probably counting are things like the Ishango Bone, (from around 20 thousand years ago but debated) or the much older Lebombo bone, from around 40 thousand years ago, but debated) and tally marks on cave walls. Culture predates all of this.
Cultural practices could be local or widespread. Cave art, burial rituals, and trade networks appear across the world. Some practices were adopted, others abandoned, and many changed due to:
Shared styles may explain similarities between sites thousands of years old, though we cannot assume a single cultural thread linking them all.
Culture continually shifts. Trade by river, sea, or land routes spread ideas and habits. Geographical barriers — mountains, seas, valleys — created isolation, distinct languages, and unique cultural traits. Technological improvements in sailing and transport increased cultural exchange.
Today, the internet accelerates cultural change daily, making culture more fluid than ever.
We only truly know the cultures we are exposed to. When encountering unfamiliar cultures, they may seem strange, frightening, or incomprehensible. This often leads to mockery or stereotypes.
Examples:
Yet stereotypes rarely match reality: few French people eat snails or frogs daily, and English roast beef is no longer a universal Sunday tradition.
Even within one lifetime, culture changes. Practices once common become rare; traditions fade or transform. What was taboo becomes accepted or even normal. Society still maintains social and legal norms, but expectations evolve rapidly.
In the UK, religious identity has shifted dramatically:
Church attendance has fallen by hundreds of thousands. Where most people once attended church weekly, now most do not.
Despite change, culture leaves marks everywhere:
Culture is vast, shifting, and complex. As soon as we try to measure or capture it, it changes. We stand in the present, looking back at what was lost, what survived, and what transformed — like King Canute trying to command the tide.
Some have tried to measure culture, Geerte Hofstede, Erin Meyers among others. but even their attempts needed updates and are probably outdated even now.