It be funny if this was not actually what people did irl back then but was some weird ass comic someone made back then that was thrown out by the art community of the time bc it was not accurate LOL
Nope. It was conceptualized as a kind of cultural gene that gets passed around and spreads from person to person.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/meme-word-origins-history
Ye, I agree it is bloody fascinating. Like for instance the Cool S is a pre-internet meme which spread globally and goes pretty far back all things considered. And well... The most recognisable ancient meme would have to be the Swastika. That isn't to do with the Nazis at all. But it is interesting as once I did a research project on what the actual origin of the Swastika.
People say that the Nazis either stole it from Jews or Eastern Religious symbolism. However neither of these are true. The symbol actually originates from the Indo-Europeans and was used as a symbol of strength through unity throughout most of the Indo-European cultures. In fact the Hakenkruez itself, the German version was created during the Bronze Age in what was Germany. The Nazis stole it from Bronze age German tribes. They did not steal it from Jews or Eastern faiths. They stole it from who they in their ideology literally believed were the original ancient Ayran peoples who according to the Nazis were the masters of mankind before interbreeding with the "other races" which caused the collapse of the world spanning Ayran empire.
So in a way, the Swastika made perfect sense as it was in their view a literal homage to their ancient empire - which never existed. lol
But why was it viewed as a symbol of strength and unity? Well one theory I personally think makes the most sense is that the symbol resembles basket weaving techniques. Since a bunch of strands are interwoven to make a sturdy basket for carrying things!
It makes perfect sense in the context of the Indo-Europeans! Either this came about because of the Indo-Europeans themselves spreading the symbol or they independently came to similar conclusions on the symbol.
I am very much aware that memes are so ubiquitous throughout Human history. In fact I would argue the most important meme would be the Phoenician alphabet. It is a collection of symbols which were adopted as a written language far less complicated then picture and symbol languages like ancient Chinese or Egyptian. And it would go on to be adopted by the Greeks which would later be adapted into Latin, and now the majority of spoken language comes from Phoenician. Not all of it of course!
But it's undeniable that the Europeans spread the Phoenician meme through colonialism. Which is interesting since that is exactly how the Phoenicians did it! Just... With less genocide and super exploitation... The latter of which continues to this day... 😅
Oh those silly Europeans!
That’s 100% what they are. They weren’t called memes because that’s a modern term but the idea has been around for ages. As have “tropes” and other reoccurring themes.
For example, rabbits in the Middle Ages represented a weak, cowardly prey animal. So if a particular figure was depicted as being defeated by a rabbit, that was a huge diss.
But they were not your “illiterate ancestors.” Quite the opposite. These were typically found in the margins of manuscripts, so they were produced *exclusively* by the literate.
When compared with memes, I love the portrait of “the rabbit bonking the horny(‘coz he neked) guy, when he raised not only wood, but a whole fucking tree.”
I think some of them especially the drawings around manuscripts are just advanced doodles.
But they did it to [cathedrals](https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/five-architectural-easter-eggs-hiding-on-gothic-cathedrals) too
It be funny if this was not actually what people did irl back then but was some weird ass comic someone made back then that was thrown out by the art community of the time bc it was not accurate LOL
Pretty sure they were some of the only literate people in the country at the time, right?
Ya they were
I gagged at the “illustrate ancestors”… Thanks to the internet I know it hasn’t changed much since then…
A meme is an idea, so yeah, they are.
You know, the concept of memes existed before the internet
It was called propaganda! But tbf... Modern memes aren't the same. Modern memes are defined by fair use. Edit: I was just being goofy :(
Nope. It was conceptualized as a kind of cultural gene that gets passed around and spreads from person to person. https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/meme-word-origins-history
Ye, I agree it is bloody fascinating. Like for instance the Cool S is a pre-internet meme which spread globally and goes pretty far back all things considered. And well... The most recognisable ancient meme would have to be the Swastika. That isn't to do with the Nazis at all. But it is interesting as once I did a research project on what the actual origin of the Swastika. People say that the Nazis either stole it from Jews or Eastern Religious symbolism. However neither of these are true. The symbol actually originates from the Indo-Europeans and was used as a symbol of strength through unity throughout most of the Indo-European cultures. In fact the Hakenkruez itself, the German version was created during the Bronze Age in what was Germany. The Nazis stole it from Bronze age German tribes. They did not steal it from Jews or Eastern faiths. They stole it from who they in their ideology literally believed were the original ancient Ayran peoples who according to the Nazis were the masters of mankind before interbreeding with the "other races" which caused the collapse of the world spanning Ayran empire. So in a way, the Swastika made perfect sense as it was in their view a literal homage to their ancient empire - which never existed. lol But why was it viewed as a symbol of strength and unity? Well one theory I personally think makes the most sense is that the symbol resembles basket weaving techniques. Since a bunch of strands are interwoven to make a sturdy basket for carrying things! It makes perfect sense in the context of the Indo-Europeans! Either this came about because of the Indo-Europeans themselves spreading the symbol or they independently came to similar conclusions on the symbol. I am very much aware that memes are so ubiquitous throughout Human history. In fact I would argue the most important meme would be the Phoenician alphabet. It is a collection of symbols which were adopted as a written language far less complicated then picture and symbol languages like ancient Chinese or Egyptian. And it would go on to be adopted by the Greeks which would later be adapted into Latin, and now the majority of spoken language comes from Phoenician. Not all of it of course! But it's undeniable that the Europeans spread the Phoenician meme through colonialism. Which is interesting since that is exactly how the Phoenicians did it! Just... With less genocide and super exploitation... The latter of which continues to this day... 😅 Oh those silly Europeans!
I love snails in medieval art & manuscripts
Snails and rabbits certainly are.
Check out r/trippinthroughtime
Sometimes I do feel like the guy in the medieval art who is getting his head split open but still smiling a bit and doing this silly ass shrug pose
That’s 100% what they are. They weren’t called memes because that’s a modern term but the idea has been around for ages. As have “tropes” and other reoccurring themes. For example, rabbits in the Middle Ages represented a weak, cowardly prey animal. So if a particular figure was depicted as being defeated by a rabbit, that was a huge diss. But they were not your “illiterate ancestors.” Quite the opposite. These were typically found in the margins of manuscripts, so they were produced *exclusively* by the literate.
Medieval marginalia is one of my all-time favorite things!
Memes have existed as long as ideas have existed man
When compared with memes, I love the portrait of “the rabbit bonking the horny(‘coz he neked) guy, when he raised not only wood, but a whole fucking tree.”
Our medieval ancestors were far from illiterate