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Cave & Rock Art

Seeing and feeling the caves as the original artists would have.

As a geologist who studies Stone Age cave art, Iñaki Intxaurbe is used to making subterranean treks in a headlamp and boots.

But the first time he navigated a cave the way humans thousands of years ago would have — barefoot while holding a torch — he learned two things. “The first sensation is that the ground is very wet and cold,” says Intxaurbe, of the University of the Basque Country in Leioa, Spain. The second: If something chases you, it will be hard to run. “You are not going to see what is in front of you,” he says.

Torches are just one of several light sources Stone Age artists used to navigate caves. Intxaurbe and colleagues are wielding these fiery tools in dark, damp and often cramped caves in an effort to understand how and why humans journeyed beneath the earth and why they created art there (SN: 11/7/18).

In the wide chambers and narrow passageways of Isuntza I Cave in the Basque region of Spain, the researchers tested torches, stone lamps and fireplaces — nooks in cave walls. Juniper branches, animal fat and other materials that Stone Age humans would have had at hand fueled the light sources. The team measured flame intensity and duration, as well as how far away from the source light illuminated the walls. ...

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/stone-age-cave-art-lighting-torch-lamp
 
Frideswide said:
Don't kangaroos come in different sizes? @Mungoman ?

In which case it could be a very large one from a long way off, or a very small one from close by.
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T0 my eyes, that's an odd rendition Frides - It's all out of proportion, plus the artist has rendered the fur - long fur, (which seems appropriate considering the glacial conditions at the time) when they very rarely did paint fur...and by rights, that lump under the tail is this fella's penis...and yet he has no indicated scrotum, which stands more pronounced than his penis normally. And the balance of the body, which is normally more massed over the pelvis and less over the chest is all about face in this example of art. The only other thought that comes to mind to explain this is, that this is an image of a roo that is half dressed for the table - but I doubt that.


I wish that the fotograph was filtered to bring out more of the image so that I could see the head - which I can't.

What I do see is the body of a large quadruped with an extended muzzle which ends just prior to the ears of the aforesaid macropod, with a small ear on the wither of the macropod, a nostril at the end of the muzzle and with a small orbit and ridge proportionately placed.

As an aside...my eye sight isn't the best (Hyperopia), and it has been 5 years since I last had my vision tested professionally...So...Opinions may vary.
 
Backdated carvings.

A series of camel sculptures carved into rock faces in Saudi Arabia are likely to be the oldest large-scale animal reliefs in the world, a study says.

When the carvings were first discovered in 2018, researchers estimated they were created about 2,000 years ago. This was based on their similarity to reliefs at Jordan's famous ancient city of Petra.

But a fresh study puts the camels at between 7,000-8,000 old.

Precisely ageing rock sculptures is a challenge for researchers. Unlike cave paintings, say, there is often no organic matter to sample. Rock art of this size is also rare in the region.

The researchers, who published their findings in the Journal of Archaeological Science, assessed erosion patterns, analysed tool marks, and tested animal bones found at the site to determine a new date for the sculptures' creation.

Their age makes them even older than such ancient landmarks as Stonehenge (5,000 years old) or the Pyramids at Giza (4,500 years old). They even predate the domestication of camels, a catalyst for economic development in the region.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-58570259
 
The Bradshaw Foundation provides an extensive collection of Web resources and information on rock art worldwide. These resources are provided under the aegis of the Rock Art Network.

Rock Art Network
Working to Protect a Cultural Treasure

The Rock Art Network, established by the Getty Conservation Institute and the Bradshaw Foundation, comprises individuals and institutions committed to the promotion, protection, and conservation of rock art globally.

https://www.bradshawfoundation.com/rockartnetwork/introduction.php

Bradshaw Foundation's Rock Art Archives

https://www.bradshawfoundation.com/index.php
 
hunck said:
Oldest Cave Art

Short BBC film from the remote Indonesian cave where the oldest cave art - dated to be at least 45,000 years old - was found.
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The style of this art, from Indonesia, is extremely close in technique/style to the painting of a Roo in the Kimberley Region (Feb 23, EnolaGay, Post number 74).
 
Stunning 12,500 year old rock art from the Chiribiquete national park in Columbia.

art.png


Just love that giant ground-sloth!

art2.png



https://www.apollo-magazine.com/colombian-rock-art-serrania-la-lindosa/amp/
 
I thought it was a toad but the artist put a human in for scale.

Top marks for that artist.
 
Animation in cave art.

Fascinating article here describing how Palaeolithic artists employed the principle of sequential animation, based on the properties of retinal persistence, to give an impression of movement.

The animation of the bison walking is quite stunning.

Best of all though is the bone disk, depicting a deer standing on one side and with legs retracted underneath it (lying, jumping or dead?) on the other. When attached to a leather leash and spun, the disk gives a remarkable impression of movement, which predates the European animation techniques of the early 1800s by maybe 20,000 years.

I don't know how to post animated GIFs here, so you'll have to visit the website to see the full effect.

deer.png


https://longnow.org/ideas/02018/03/...f-sequential-animation-and-graphic-narrative/
 
Largest US cave figures, about 1,000 years old, discovered in Alabama.

Cave in northern Alabama home to carvings that experts say were probably made during the Woodland period.

The largest cave figures in North America have been discovered in Alabama as a result of advanced photography.

In a study published on Tuesday in the journal Antiquity, researchers revealed that a cave in the northern Alabama countryside is home to carvings dating back about 1,000 years. Experts estimate that the carvings were made during the Woodland period.

The carvings, some of which extend up to 7ft long, depict various figures, including what appears to be people wearing Native American garments such as headdresses and carrying a rattle or weapon.
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(C) The Guardian. '22
 
Unexpected discovery of mysterious drawings could change the way scientists look at cave art

Massive Native American drawings -- which remained unseen in an Alabama cave for more than 1,000 years -- have been unveiled by a team of scientists. It's the largest known cave art ever discovered in North America.

The art was practically invisible until researchers investigated the cave and used 3D scans to reveal the works, including one stretching for 11 feet (3.4 meters) in length. A study detailing their findings published Tuesday in the journal Antiquity.

http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets%2F220504111222-03-largest-native-american-cave-art.jpg


The large artwork was discovered inside 19th Unnamed Cave in Alabama, which has been kept anonymous to protect the site from vandalism.

Although its location was first found in 1998, the tight confines of the cave made the sprawling art, drawn in mud, impossible to see, so it was missed. But hundreds of smaller images were discovered throughout the cave at that time.

The giant glyphs may depict spirits of the underworld and have been dated to the first millennium AD. The art was created precontact, or prior to the Native Americans encountering outside cultures, according to the study.

Jan F. Simek, a distinguished professor of science at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a team of researchers initially stumbled upon the giant drawings while working on documenting the cave interior beginning in 2017.

https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/largest-native-american-cave-art-scn/index.html

- refererencing:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/jour...cave-alabama/695DFD2980B69D520A56A320D6549E76

maximus otter
 
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Rising seas and pollution threaten the paintings in Cosquer cavern.

To reach the only place in the world where cave paintings of prehistoric marine life have been found, archaeologists have to dive to the bottom of the Mediterranean off southern France.

Then they have to negotiate a 137-metre natural tunnel into the rock, passing through the mouth of the cave until they emerge into a huge cavern, much of it now submerged.

Three men died trying to discover this "underwater Lascaux" as rumours spread of a cave to match the one in southwestern France that completely changed the way we see our prehistoric ancestors.

Lascaux - which Picasso visited in 1940 - proved the urge to make art is as old as humanity itself.

Archaeologist Luc Vanrell's life changed the second he surfaced inside the Cosquer cavern and saw its staggering images. Even now, 30 years on, he remembers the "aesthetic shock".

But the cave and its treasures, some dating back more than 30,000 years, are in grave danger. Climate change and water and plastic pollution are threatening to wash away the art prehistoric men and women created over 15 millennia.

https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2022/0530/1301934-cosquer-cavern/
 
ramonmercado said:
Rising seas and pollution threaten the paintings in Cosquer cavern.

To reach the only place in the world where cave paintings of prehistoric marine life have been found, archaeologists have to dive to the bottom of the Mediterranean off southern France.

Then they have to negotiate a 137-metre natural tunnel into the rock, passing through the mouth of the cave until they emerge into a huge cavern, much of it now submerged.

Three men died trying to discover this "underwater Lascaux" as rumours spread of a cave to match the one in southwestern France that completely changed the way we see our prehistoric ancestors.

Lascaux - which Picasso visited in 1940 - proved the urge to make art is as old as humanity itself.

Archaeologist Luc Vanrell's life changed the second he surfaced inside the Cosquer cavern and saw its staggering images. Even now, 30 years on, he remembers the "aesthetic shock".

But the cave and its treasures, some dating back more than 30,000 years, are in grave danger. Climate change and water and plastic pollution are threatening to wash away the art prehistoric men and women created over 15 millennia.

https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2022/0530/1301934-cosquer-cavern/
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Brilliant Ramonmercado!

I've just spent 2 hours googling Cosquer Cavern and being utterly enthralled...

Thank you Mate!
 
ramonmercado said:
Rising seas and pollution threaten the paintings in Cosquer cavern.

To reach the only place in the world where cave paintings of prehistoric marine life have been found, archaeologists have to dive to the bottom of the Mediterranean off southern France.

Then they have to negotiate a 137-metre natural tunnel into the rock, passing through the mouth of the cave until they emerge into a huge cavern, much of it now submerged.

Three men died trying to discover this "underwater Lascaux" as rumours spread of a cave to match the one in southwestern France that completely changed the way we see our prehistoric ancestors.

Lascaux - which Picasso visited in 1940 - proved the urge to make art is as old as humanity itself.

Archaeologist Luc Vanrell's life changed the second he surfaced inside the Cosquer cavern and saw its staggering images. Even now, 30 years on, he remembers the "aesthetic shock".

But the cave and its treasures, some dating back more than 30,000 years, are in grave danger. Climate change and water and plastic pollution are threatening to wash away the art prehistoric men and women created over 15 millennia.

https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2022/0530/1301934-cosquer-cavern/
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Near the end of the article is quite an astonishing fact; the artwork featuring long-maned horses and a possible depiction of a harness, is highly suggestive of horses being domesticated far earlier than previously thought. Some of this art is in excess of 30,000 years old, but orthodox history states the domestication of the horse didn't occur until only 6,000 years ago.
 
Mythopoeika I had noticed the 6 fingers.
On one of the other pictures was a figure with 4.
 
Great auks and seal-headed men: a window into ice age Provence.

The Cosquer cave near Marseille astonished the diver who discovered it with its ancient depictions of sea and land animals. Now it has been painstakingly recreated in the French port for all to enjoy

It was in 1985 that the diver Henri Cosquer discovered, along the coast from Marseille, what has been called an “underwater Lascaux” after the famous cave network in the Dordogne. After several failed attempts, he managed to follow a narrow tunnel, 120ft below the surface of the sea, for almost 400ft and emerged in a stunning decorated chamber. Subsequent visits revealed many images of the horses, ibexes and deer common in prehistoric cave art, but also unprecedented pictures of seals and what look very much like penguins, including one which seems to show two males competing for a watching female. This initially raised questions about authenticity, though carbon dating of the charcoal confirmed that the drawings were prehistoric. The birds were later identified not as penguins but great auks (known in French as grands pingouins), an extinct species that looks similar but is not in fact closely related.
The cave came to wider public attention when three divers drowned there in 1991. It was classified as a historic monument the following year and the French state has conducted ever more precise and detailed surveys using laser scanners and high-definition photography. Portable devices can now also carry out chemical analysis, for example of pigments, on the spot. But the Cosquer cave is the only known decorated cave with an entrance under the sea, and until now it has only been accessible to very experienced divers. Global warming means that it is eventually likely to be submerged and that its amazing rock art will only be preserved virtually. It is particularly to be welcomed, therefore, that a compellingly accurate replica has now opened to the public at a prime site in Marseille, where it is hoped it will attract about 500,000 visitors a year.
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(C) The Guardian. '22
 
The world famous Tassili n'Ajjer site in Algeria features hundreds of amazing images, both painted and carved, with the oldest dating back to around 10,000 BC.

The image of what appears to be a twin-horse light chariot with spoked wheels, is a potential OOPART as it may predate the spoked wheel's supposed invention in Mesopotamia:

wheel.png


There is an image of a warrior feeding a giraffe. Did these ancient tribesmen ever domesticate giraffes?

giraffe.png


And there are plenty of very weird, vaguely humanoid images - one of which featured prominently in Erich von Däniken's Chariots of the Gods.

alien.png


https://www.amusingplanet.com/2016/03/the-prehistoric-rock-art-of-tassili.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tassili_n'Ajjer
 
Mystery of ancient dots and stripes on Europe's caves is solved

For decades, researchers had suspected that the seemingly random dots and stripes on cave paintings across Europe contained a hidden meaning, yet they were unable to decipher them.

Now, thanks to the work of a pioneering amateur, the code has been cracked and archaeologists believe that a wave of discoveries is set to tumble forth.

The first great revelation is that ancient humans were using the paintings to track the mating and birthing seasons of wild animals such as cattle, horses and mammoths.

TELEMMGLPICT000321096609_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bqa8QtIqCyJclA1G3zY-Z46k1zzbHvcWkybUg6pajp_lI.jpeg


It demonstrates not only that Ice Age hunter-gatherers had a grasp of past, present and future but also that they had devised a form of “proto-writing”.

The deciphering of the markings pushes back the date for the earliest known proto-writing by 14,000 years to at least 20,000 years ago.

To crack the code, Mr Bacon first enlisted the help of Tony Freeth, an honorary professor at University College London, who previously led research that enabled the function of the ancient Greek Antikythera mechanism to be deciphered.

“Lunar calendars are difficult because there are just under twelve and a half lunar months in a year, so they do not fit neatly into a year. As a result, our own modern calendar has all but lost any link to actual lunar months,” said Prof Freeth.

The two men had to reconstruct a calendar based on meteorology and other information that paleolithic humans would have had available, which then helped explain the universality of the cave symbols.

The duo were then able to use the birth cycles of equivalent animals still alive today to figure out that the series of dots accompanying many animal drawings was a record of lunar months for when they were mating.

TELEMMGLPICT000321096586_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqQv5uEZvbolGJzeV2lT14x1vwUTs18iYyN3VHiu7K_g0.jpeg


For example, paintings of aurochs, wild ancestors of modern cattle, in Spain had four dots on them. This showed that they were mating four months after “bonne saison” or Paleolithic spring.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/05/mystery-ancient-dots-stripes-europes-caves-solved/

maximus otter
 
From my experiences, these important events in a Hunter Gatherers life were well known to all in the community, bar the youngest.

Events like the mating of Aurochs wouldn't need to be coded - they would be well known.

The average calendar would be simplified, into moons (all 13 of them) and would most probably be made into a song for the Children to sing. and would centre around major events - the Solstices and the Equinoxes.

With things that are obscure, and possibly dangerous, they would be indicated by a less subtle event like leaf bud on trees, or like the appearance of specific breeds of birds arriving.

The seasonal climate would also be another indicator, so that something like snow melt would indicate mating of certain animals, which would mean a prohibition on hunting those animals.

Down here in the southern end of Australia, when a specific wattle blooms, that's the time for whiting and bream to winter over in the tributaries and salt water lakes.

When the Bream and whiting are wintering, you can expect the big runs of Australian salmon up the East coast, and when that peters out, The Mullet start schooling out to sea.

When the bullrush flowers, that's when the black swan will lay its eggs, etc.

I don't know what the markings indicate on cave drawings - they obviously mean something - but something as straightforward as mating times and calving times would be well known. Opinions will vary though.
 
Mungoman said:
From my experiences, these important events in a Hunter Gatherers life were well known to all in the community, bar the youngest.

Events like the mating of Aurochs wouldn't need to be coded - they would be well known.

The average calendar would be simplified, into moons (all 13 of them) and would most probably be made into a song for the Children to sing. and would centre around major events - the Solstices and the Equinoxes.

With things that are obscure, and possibly dangerous, they would be indicated by a less subtle event like leaf bud on trees, or like the appearance of specific breeds of birds arriving.

The seasonal climate would also be another indicator, so that something like snow melt would indicate mating of certain animals, which would mean a prohibition on hunting those animals.

Down here in the southern end of Australia, when a specific wattle blooms, that's the time for whiting and bream to winter over in the tributaries and salt water lakes.

When the Bream and whiting are wintering, you can expect the big runs of Australian salmon up the East coast, and when that peters out, The Mullet start schooling out to sea.

When the bullrush flowers, that's when the black swan will lay its eggs, etc.

I don't know what the markings indicate on cave drawings - they obviously mean something - but something as straightforward as mating times and calving times would be well known. Opinions will vary though.
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I suspect that the actual reason for the markings on the cave animals will never be known. Perhaps a pattern will emerge when enough images have been analyzed.

That a numeric count of linear markings on a food animal depiction is conjectured to be number of months to some event (mating, birthing, etc.) may be true. But it also seems to me to be a projection of a text-literate modern person, very separated from natural life and the actual observations and storytelling tradition of hunters-gatherers. The hunters may have recorded a numeric count of something, but it would not have been to inform future hunters. The informing would have been through talking and stories.

I think it is useful for anthropologists who conjecture on what a hunter would have done and why, to actually live among hunters for a while to understand that lifestyle better.

I have spent many happy hours looking at rock carvings here in the SW USA. Some carvings were from several different cultures, stretching across thousands of years but at the same location. Physically difficult to create. My favorite carving (but I love them all!) is of a ram walking on its hind legs, and playing a flute. Created by the ancestors of the local native Americans - who now have the flute playing kokopelli spirit.
 
Yithian said:
A teaching aid, perhaps?
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A good point Yith.

Maybe where this particular animal sits within the panoply that would be Their Cosmogenesis?

That particular community of Hunter Gatherer would have a creation Myth, and maybe these markings could indicate, to those empowered by this knowledge, the ranking and importance that this particular animal plays.

Or...how best to dispatch them?

Either way, a Wayback Machine would be most appreciated.
 
I doubt it's the last word on it - some other theories off the top of me head:
  • A representation of how fast they run.
  • How many spears it takes to bring one down (or where to aim them).
  • Value to the group.
  • What it's worth on a scoring system!
  • How many humans to sacrifice to settle up with nature!
 
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