Scientists have named 10 things that are the same all over the world: flute, dragons, "Hmm?" and not only

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Humans are a very diverse species, which can be clearly seen in the many differences between cultures around the world. Given the different customs, lifestyles, types of food and languages, it would be difficult for an outside observer to determine that people living in different parts of the Earth are the same species. But despite all these differences, there are some things that all people do the same way, no matter where they grew up. In fact, it’s amazing that things like this developed at the same time in different parts of the world, especially if cultures did not have close contact with each other.

1. Flute

People who have studied music professionally know that different music schools and styles around the world are very different from each other. Even traditional musical instruments differ from country to country or region, but there is one instrument that is common among different cultures in more or less the same form: the flute. From the Persian nei and Indian bansuri to the Chinese dichi and unnamed Indian flutes, they all have almost the same design, despite different musical traditions. Even though they are made from different materials (for example, the Indian flute is made of bamboo, and the Indian one is made of wood), they all look almost the same. And even one of the oldest instruments ever found was the flute. And it was very similar to modern flutes.

2. Nod

If you find yourself in a completely different country and unfamiliar culture, it is not difficult to get into a difficult situation. It will be difficult to ask for even the simplest things, because even gestures can vary from country to country. But in the midst of all this confusion, there is one universal gesture that can be counted on even in the most remote parts of the world - nodding your head in agreement and shaking your head from side to side in denial (and that, there are exceptions in the form of Bulgaria and several other places) … No one understands how this happened, but it has long been known that these basic gestures will be understood anywhere in the world. Not only is the nod used to indicate agreement, it is also a common gesture for a variety of other things, such as acceptance or friendliness, and you can hardly find a single country where it is not understood.

3. Dragons

It is common knowledge that in those days when the world was a dangerous place to live, people explained things they did not understand to the supernatural. In various mythologies, the world is full of various mythological creatures that seem to have come straight out of nightmares, and most of them depict the pressing problems of that time. They are all quite different from each other, with the exception of one cryptic example: dragons. Reptiles that can fly and spew fire is a recurring theme in the mythologies of cultures that, until recently, should not have been in contact with each other - from Scandinavia to Japan. While this can be partially explained by the fact that humans have found the bones of huge extinct reptiles, it does not explain the almost incredibly similar general characteristics of dragons in different countries.

4. "Hmm?"

Different cultures have different verbal and non-verbal gestures to express emotion quickly, and many of these depend on how the culture developed and how willing people were to physically deal with it (for example, complex handshakes). They help people who grew up next to each other to understand each other, but are completely useless if you have to communicate with a representative of another culture. However, there is one expression that is the same in almost all languages and cultures of the world: "hmm". Everyone instinctively understands what this means, no matter where you are. This has been confirmed by research conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in the Netherlands. Because this expression is so widespread, it may have originated in our early ancestors.

5. Moon

Ancient cultures were strangely fascinated by the moon. Although today people simply see a celestial body regularly "hanging" in the night sky, people used to associate the moon with all kinds of bad things. It would seem that this is so if it was only one culture, but the Moon was considered something to be feared, in almost all historical cultures. For example, a lunar eclipse was considered the most terrible phenomenon on all continents.

6. Dumplings

Nowhere is the diversity of the human race more evident than in food. Dishes are not only prepared differently depending on the country and the ingredients available in it, but also differ due to the different nutritional needs of people in different parts of the world. All of these factors combine to make food so different across cultures. Except for some overlap due to the mixing of cultures, food usually looks very different from one country to another. One of the rare exceptions is ordinary dumplings. From momo in Tibet to wontons in China and tortellini in Italy, we all have our own versions of dumplings, essentially a dough wrapped in local ingredients and then cooked. Although there are different variations of dumplings (especially with regard to ingredients), dumplings are by and large the same everywhere. It is also one of the oldest dishes, which may explain why it is so common throughout the world.

7. Parts of the language

Language is an integral part of culture, and the huge variety of languages that come from the same species is truly amazing. Each ethnic group has its own native language with its own script, pronunciation, grammar and tons of nuances, which is not surprising given how people are scattered around the world. There are many differences, so it is surprising when similar features of one language appear in others, especially when languages develop independently of each other. Many words are surprisingly similar, although they mean completely different things, and there are many other similarities. When studying about 6,000 languages, the researchers found that the sounds of many words are very similar, and they also concluded that the geographical proximity of countries to each other has nothing to do with this.

8. Bow and arrow

In ancient times, when different regions did not yet come into contact with each other, many types of weapons were developed independently of each other depending on the terrain and types of conflict. Most of these weapons have never entered other regions for a very long time, and often it was the unique weapon that was the decisive factor in the redistribution of territories. While weapons were generally different around the world, there was one thing that was the same everywhere: the bow. If someone thinks that this is easy, he should think about the procedure for making a bow. You need to find the right type of wood, handle it correctly, choose a bowstring by trial and error, etc. And yet, bows have existed in a similar form in almost all cultures, starting from the earliest periods of human civilization. In fact, some archaeologists have discovered that our earliest ancestors experimented with different types of arrowheads. This proves that the classic bow and arrow has been around since the dawn of humanity.

9. Folklore

Each culture has its own folklore and mythology. Some myths are interesting stories with important lessons, while others are essentially just images of terrible monsters that people feared at the time. Such folklore is incredibly diverse, and this is obvious, since most cultures did not contact each other when they came up with all this. More surprising, however, is that despite geographic and linguistic differences and lack of contact, many similar themes appear in folklore around the world. For example, you can take a half-snake, half-human - naga, which is described in many Indian myths. It is also often found (moreover, with almost identical descriptions) in ancient Chinese lore, as well as in the lore of the West African Dogon tribe. There are many similarities in seemingly different religions. One of the most striking examples is the identical creation and flood myths in China and Israel, which were not related to each other at all.

10. Cinderella

"Cinderella" is one of the most recognizable fairy tales in the entire Western world and on the territory of the former Soviet Union. But the most mysterious thing is that "Cinderella" is one of the oldest stories in the world, which exists with slight differences in many countries. The roots of the Cinderella story date back to at least AD 850, in a Chinese folk tale called Ye Xian. She also has a girl who lives with her parents who hate her, and a magical creature who helps her get to the king's ceremony. She also leaves a slipper that helps the king find her and eventually marry her. The earliest iteration of Cinderella may have originated as early as 7 BC. Almost every culture has its own version, proving that no matter how different people are, they have pretty much the same stories.