What is the most ancient ghost ever seen?

Question

People often report sightings of ghosts dressed in Elizabethan style costumes, occasionally ghosts dressed as Romans. Why doesn't anyone ever encounter the ghosts of cavemen (or dinosaurs)? And why don't people encounter the ghosts of insects or elephants?

Answer 1

All the ancient cultures have ghost stories, for example see:http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/greco...

Laying aside the debate over whether ghosts are real or not, - for sake of argument let's say they have been proven to exist - there are a few reasons why only human ghosts tend to be seen:

Stone tape theory - that a place that has seen extremes of emotion in the past becomes haunted because some imprint of the emotion is left there. Insects probably aren't as emotional as humans. However, this theory doesn't allow for sightings of ghost vehicles (stagecoaches, WW2 Bombers, London Buses) which have been reported.

Sentient Soul theory - That a ghost is connected with, or is a manifestation of a human soul, therefore insects and animals that are thought not to have souls would not appear. This theory doesn't allow for ghost animals though, of which there are many stories.

There may not be many Caveman ghost reports, but Bronze and Iron age settlements have been excavated in places that have had persistent ghost stories since before the settlements were uncovered. The Hairy hands Of Dartmoor legend is supposedly connected to an ancient settlement.

The Dinosaur ghost question is an excellent one - it seems that all lizards are unrepresented in Ghost Folklore. Have no idea why. Also the same with elephants, though i am sure that there probably are some stories in Africa.

Answer 2

Because:  1) Ghosts are not real.  2) "Ghosts " are reported within the context of the person who reports the sighting.  So, people do know their own history -- Elizabethan costume,  Knights in armor, Romans in togas -- you get these descriptions because those types of people actually might have lived in the area at one time in the past.  

But, why don't you get druidic ghost or as you stated caveman ghosts??

How do you describe a druid ghost?   A guy in a robe?  How about a caveman ghost - a guy in a skin with a club?   How boring and general is that?  It does not have the same pizazz or cache of the more interesting  well-known historical figures.  

It's like people who believe they are reincarnated -- they are always kings or priests or warriors.  Please -- those "classes" were a tiny minority of their own society.  If reincarnation is possible -- we should have gone through several lifetimes as farmers, serfs or plain old dung carriers -- not "cool" enough.

Answer 3

I beilieve in ghost, I have never seen one though, and I hope I don't. I have felt the prescence of another in a room before(while being home by myself) and have felt a pat on the back when I did something, but not a living soul touched me.

Answer 4

I honestly have no idea.....But i think they exist.

My house is Edwardian and we have recently renovated it. We bought it off of an elderly woman who went into a home and we found out from a neighbour that her husband died in the house.... And about the animals her dog is also bueried in the garden- it was called Meg as we found a name tag in the garden.

I've had some pretty spooky experiences in this house.