FourOh-LLC on Nostr: Calling people European in hindsight is always inaccurate because the concept of ...
Calling people European in hindsight is always inaccurate because the concept of Europe as a political, cultural, and geographical entity has changed dramatically over time. The boundaries of Europe were never fixed but rather a product of historical developments.
For example, had Russia’s history unfolded differently—perhaps aligning more closely with Western European powers—then Europe as we define it today could have extended halfway around the globe, fully incorporating Russia as a core part of it. Conversely, historical shifts could have just as easily excluded parts of modern-day Europe from the definition of Europe altogether.
This lack of stability highlights why it is incorrect to retroactively label people from 10,000 years ago as European—at that time, there was no Europe, no shared identity, no common political or cultural framework. They were distinct groups of hunter-gatherers and early settlers with regional identities, not continental ones.
For example, had Russia’s history unfolded differently—perhaps aligning more closely with Western European powers—then Europe as we define it today could have extended halfway around the globe, fully incorporating Russia as a core part of it. Conversely, historical shifts could have just as easily excluded parts of modern-day Europe from the definition of Europe altogether.
This lack of stability highlights why it is incorrect to retroactively label people from 10,000 years ago as European—at that time, there was no Europe, no shared identity, no common political or cultural framework. They were distinct groups of hunter-gatherers and early settlers with regional identities, not continental ones.