Why was so important religion in Prehistoric times?

Thomas Hobbes once said that man explains that which he
cannot explain in terms of God. Religion was important during pre-historic times as it
is now; it was a way in which people could explain that which they could not explain.
Figurines that have been found among Cro-Magnon artifacts often display pronounced
feminine features and often appear to be pregnant. Remains of early settlements in
Turkey such as Catal Huyuk have bull-like objects prominently displayed. The Bull was
later a symbol of strength and fertility in later civilizations--Baal, the Phoenician
god of the storm, was often portrayed with bull-like features. Obviously, early man drew
the connection between fertility and increases in both wildlife which he hunted and the
vegetable items which he gathered.

Interestingly, even
Neanderthal man seemed to have had some sense of religion. Many Neanderthal burial sites
indicate pollen from flowering plants--the dead were buried with ceremony, including
flowers. Neanderthal apparently had some sense of life after death. Here again, the age
old question of "what happens when we die" was explained by early people by adopting
religious beliefs.