The Invention of Rope and the Roots of Modern Civilization
(Room JW Grand Ballroom 9)
04 Jul 18
4:30 PM
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5:45 PM
In this presentation, Christopher Kilgore will demonstrate horsehair rope making, a nearly extinct craft he learned from retired cowhand and author, the late Bill Brett. Curious about the origin of the process, Christopher traced its beginnings to the Cro-Magnon culture of Ice Age Europe some 17,000 years ago. Eventually he came to believe that rope manufacturing was the single most important advancement in material technology of the last million years. Kilgore’s familiarity with horsehair ropemaking also enabled him to reinterpret numerous poorly understood works of Stone Age art. By analyzing cave paintings and ancient engravings, he gained insight into the way that the invention of rope served as a major catalyst of the Paleolithic Cultural Explosion, a seemingly spontaneous flourishing of art, technology, and material culture. This novel iconological interpretation strongly suggests the existence of a direct lineal connection between Cro-Magnon culture, the Proto Indo-Europeans, and modern civilization. Kilgore's discovery ultimately led to the publication of a groundbreaking article in L'Anthropologie, the oldest and arguably most prestigious archaeological journal in the world. Attendees will each receive a piece of handmade horsehair cordage as a souvenir of the event.