If you are still checking in 123Hopp, please start a new thread. I will be glad to discuss any and all ideas about reconstucting shamanic ideology and speculations of pre-shamanic world views in paleolithic peoples. It is my specialty, and I rarely get to talk to anyone who doesn't just isolate themselves with a "scientific/academic/pedantic" viewpoint, or go to the other extreme and ideate pre-historic sensibilities on New Age/post-Bronze Age theories and evidence.

I'm no longer up for the passionate arguments that apparently lots of people miss here (and into which I always let myself be drawn to my despair!), but I would love to know what anyone feels could have been the "lifestyle" of the pre-5000bce human. In particular Western Russia/Northern Scandinavia, based on what we have in the archaeological record (as opposed to our imaginations).

Now I feel like a real F***tard. I never fall for anything close to these.... there is always a first!  I certainly didn't open it, but I emailed Diego to tell him he'd mailed this to the wrong person. Stupid. I hadn't been here in so long I thought maybe he'd finally done what he threatened to do years ago, and given up the headaches of this site... and was giving the moderation to a worthy successor.

Good News: I have a Macintosh which has only a one-ten-thousandth of a chance of being infected even if I had clicked. I don't know whether or not they could mine a confirming address.

Bad news?: DIego. And Paola. I hope this hasn't messed you up. Or too many of the rest of you.

Super news: Glad to see you well, Nigel.

Jane