Paleolithic Art

Class presentation with captions

1. Paleolithic Art Introduction

2. When/where did art begin?

3. Magapansgat pebble, from South Africa. C. 3,000,000 BCE. Natural History Museum, London This small pebble was discovered in 1925 in a cave in Africa

4. It was found amongst the bones of  Australopithecus , a predecessor of modern humans

5. Magapansgat pebble, from South Africa. C. 3,000,000 BCE. Natural History Museum, London Paleontologists  believe that the owner of the pebble recognized its resemblance to a human face, and carried it back to the cave for safekeeping

6. Magapansgat pebble, from South Africa. C. 3,000,000 BCE. Natural History Museum, London Is this how art began — with the simple recognition of “resemblance” or “likeness”?

7. Magapansgat pebble, from South Africa. C. 3,000,000 BCE. Natural History Museum, London Although the act of recognizing a human likeness in the features of the pebble may indicate the beginning of a capacity for symbolic thinking, it was not until much later in human evolution that our ancestors began to modify materials to “re-present” the world in symbolic form

8. The creation of art, like the development of language,  pre-supposes a high level of intellectual sophistication, and the species that found and saved the Magapansgat pebble had not yet achieved this level of cognitive development

9. In fact, it was not until modern humans ( Homo Sapiens  – which literally means “wise man”) emerged on the world stage that “art” as a form of symbolic visual communication began to appear.

10. The critical factor was the size of our brain:  we didn’t start making art until we had gained the capacity to think  — and all of this happened thousands of years before the invention of writing!

11. So art began when the human brain evolved to its modern capacity, and the oldest examples can be found in Africa, where our ancient ancestors originated

12. Engraved ochre from Blombos Cave. 90,000-100,000 BP   But we didn’t start out making art like Pablo Picasso or Michelangelo

13. Engraved ochre from Blombos Cave. 90,000-100,000 BP   This engraved piece of ochre may not be pretty to look at, but it shows evidence for the human capacity for symbolic thinking far earlier than previously thought possible

14. Fragments of engraved ostrich eggshells from the Howiesons Poort of Diepkloof Rock Shelter, Western Cape, South Africa, dated to 60,000 BP   Much of the earliest evidence of human creativity consists of indecipherable geometric markings, or objects of personal adornment

15. Animal facing left, from the Apollo 11 Cave, Namibia, ca. 23,000 BCE. Charcoal on stone, approx. 5″X 4 1/4″. State Museum of Namibia, Windhoek.   This painted slab was found in the “Apollo 11” cave in southwestern Namibia in 1969

16. Animal facing left, from the Apollo 11 Cave, Namibia, ca. 23,000 BCE. Charcoal on stone, approx. 5″X 4 1/4″. State Museum of Namibia, Windhoek.   Using radiocarbon dating, archaeologists estimate that it is 25,500-25,300 years old, making it one of the oldest examples of representational art to be found on the African continent

17. Animal facing left, from the Apollo 11 Cave, Namibia, ca. 23,000 BCE. Charcoal on stone, approx. 5″X 4 1/4″. State Museum of Namibia, Windhoek.   Decorated with simplified representations of animals, the slabs were painted with pigments made from ground charcoal and ochre

18. Animal facing left, from the Apollo 11 Cave, Namibia, ca. 23,000 BCE. Charcoal on stone, approx. 5″X 4 1/4″. State Museum of Namibia, Windhoek.   It is difficult to identify the animals because they lack specific detail

19. Animal facing left, from the Apollo 11 Cave, Namibia, ca. 23,000 BCE. Charcoal on stone, approx. 5″X 4 1/4″. State Museum of Namibia, Windhoek.   Although we may never know the meaning of the image (the absence of any written record doesn’t help!), many of the characteristics of the Upper Paleolithic art that we will study are already present here, including  the focus on animals as subject matter, and the use of a strictly profile view

20. Animal facing left, from the Apollo 11 Cave, Namibia, ca. 23,000 BCE. Charcoal on stone, approx. 5″X 4 1/4″. State Museum of Namibia, Windhoek.   The Apollo 11 Cave drawings might be thought of as the “student sketchbooks” for the artists who painted the later and more famous caves in France and Spain.

21. The real story begins in the Upper Paleolithic era, when climate change prompted migration North (50,000-10,000 years ago)

22. This is why the largest concentration of Paleolithic art can be found in Europe, rather than in Africa

23. VOCABULARY Before moving to the next section, it might be helpful to define a few vocabulary terms

24. VOCABULARY Prehistory/Prehistoric Before recorded history Paleolithic Old Stone Age Stone Age Stone tools Neolithic New Stone Age

25. Dating B.C. Before Christ B.C.E. Before Common Era BP Before Present Radiocarbon dating Measure based on decay rate of carbon in organic matter WARNING : Dating always approximate, and often highly contested!!!!

26. Upper Paleolithic Middle Paleolithic Lower Paleolithic The Paleolithic period is also divided into three broad stages, based on the layers  of excavations (the oldest stuff being found in the lowest levels of excavations, and the newest stuff being found closest to the top)

27. Finally, the Upper Paleolithic period is further divided into cultural periods (based on lifestyles and tool technologies), which are given varying dates by different experts.  You DO NOT have to know these, but I am listing them in case you come across them

28. Paleolithic Art Mobiliary Art

29. Mobiliary Art Small portable carvings and sculptures made from bones, antlers, stone

30. Our earliest ancestors used stone tools to make decorated weapons and small portable sculptures

31. They also made decorated weapons and tools, and small “doodles” on antlers and bones

32. Spear thrower carved as a mammoth, Late Magdalenian, about 12,500 years old
From the rockshelter of Montastruc , Tarn-et-Garonne, France British Museum Many of these carved artifacts represent animals, and indicate a remarkably high level of skill

33. Leaping Horse
Carved on spear-thrower of reindeer antler
Bruniquel , France, late period
Musée de Antiquités Nationales , St. Germain-en-Laye 
 This carved antler is a spear-thrower and is decorated with a leaping horse

34. Leaping Horse
Carved on spear-thrower of reindeer antler
Bruniquel , France, late period
Musée de Antiquités Nationales , St. Germain-en-Laye 
 The hunter would have inserted the spear in the small slot, and used the carved part as a handle

35. Bison with turned head, fragmentary spear thrower from La Madeleine, France, c . 12,000 BCE. Reindeer horn, 4” long This fragment of a  spear thrower  depicts a bison, with its head turned sharply to the right

36. Bison with turned head, fragmentary spear thrower from La Madeleine, France, c . 12,000 BCE. Reindeer horn, 4” long The distinctive characteristics of the animal have been observed in great detail, including the distinctive shape of the skull, the texture of the mane, and even the subtle features of the ear, nose, and mouth with its extended tongue

37. Most of these decorated objects depict animals: why do you think that is so?

38. Jack Black, in “Year One,” 2009 Photo By: Suzanne Hanover, SMPSP. © 2009 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved Image source: http://www.allmoviephoto.com/photo/2009_year_one_007.html Understanding context is important: What was life was like in the stone age?

39. Andreas Lederer , Hadabel men in Tanzania returning from a hunt Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadza_people#/media/File:Hadazbe_returning_from_hunt.jpg Our prehistoric ancestors were hunter gatherers , which means they hunted animals and foraged for food

40. Andreas Lederer , Hadabel men in Tanzania returning from a hunt Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadza_people#/media/File:Hadazbe_returning_from_hunt.jpg They were also nomadic , since they had to move around to follow the herds

41. This is why the art is small in scale – it had to be small enough to carry around

42. No cars No phones No Facebook No fast food

43. Scene from “Year One,” starring Jack Black Image source: http://www.collider.com/2009/06/18/year-one-review/ Life was precarious

44. Animals were vital to human existence as a source of food, and as a constant threat of danger

45. Bison with turned head, fragmentary spear thrower from La Madeleine, France, c . 12,000 BCE. Reindeer horn, 4” long Preoccupation with animals was therefore more than just an idle past time:  knowledge about animal features and behavior would have been vital to survival

46. In addition to animals, small figurines of women made from ivory, bone, or stone, have been found in abundance at archaeological sites across Europe

47. Venus of Willendorf , c . 28,000-25,000 BCE Natural History Museum, Vienna Female Figurine (Venus of Kostenki ), c . 23,000- 21,000 BCE Limestone; Hermitage Museum When they were first discovered, archaeologists referred to them as “Venus” figures because of their resemblance to Classical statues of the Roman goddess of love

48. Venus of Willendorf , c . 28,000-25,000 BCE Natural History Museum, Vienna Female Figurine (Venus of Kostenki ), c . 23,000- 21,000 BCE Limestone; Hermitage Museum This designation is now considered misleading because there is no evidence to support the implied conclusion that the figures represented “goddesses” – but the name has stuck nonetheless!

49. The Venus of Willendorf was discovered at an archaeological site in Austria in 1908

50. Venus of Willendorf , c . 28,000-25,000 BCE Natural History Museum, Vienna Measuring just 4 3/8” tall, the figure is carved from a type of limestone that is not local to the area, and there were traces of red ochre found on the surface, which may have had some kind of ritual significance

51. Venus of Willendorf , c . 28,000-25,000 BCE Natural History Museum, Vienna Female Figurine (Venus of Kostenki ), c . 23,000- 21,000 BCE Limestone; Hermitage Museum The small scale and lack of feet suggests she was made to be carried in the palm of the hand

52. Venus of Willendorf , c . 28,000-25,000 BCE Natural History Museum, Vienna Unlike the Magapansgat pebble, which merely resembled a human face by accident, the Venus of Willendorf was carved with the deliberate intention of creating a likeness of the female form Magapansgat pebble, from South Africa. C. 3,000,000 BCE. Natural History Museum, London

53. Venus of Willendorf , c . 28,000-25,000 BCE Natural History Museum, Vienna But scholars have determined that the navel was a natural indentation in the rock, rather than a carved feature – so the inspiration may have come from a perceived resemblance to the soft belly of a woman Magapansgat pebble, from South Africa. C. 3,000,000 BCE. Natural History Museum, London

54. The figure has remarkably naturalistic details, such as the heavily sagging breasts and soft pudgy belly

55. But it is also highly abstracted, with selective emphasis on certain parts of the body, while other parts of the body seem to be de-emphasized

56. The emphasis seems to her enormously large breasts, belly, and buttocks – even her pubic region has been carefully incised

57. But she has no face, no feet, and skinny little arms that are barely noticeable

58. Female Figurine (Venus of Kostenki ), c . 23,000- 21,000 BCE Limestone; Hermitage Museum Venus figurine from Kostenki Image source: http://donsmaps.com/kostenkivenus.html This selective focus is common to all of the so-called Venus figures

59. Venus von Moravany , Mammoth Ivory, 22 000 - 24 000 Slovak Academy of Sciences in Nitra Image source: http://www.donsmaps.com/moravanyvenus.html They all have large, swelling bellies, breasts, and carefully delineated pubic regions

60. Venus of Dolni Vestonice Molded of clay and bone ash; 4 1/2 “ Dolni Vestonice , Czechoslovakia, 34000-26500 BC And they all lack faces and feet

61. Dr. Jill Cook, curator of European pre-history at the British museum What did they mean ? Archaeologists continue to debate the purpose or meaning of the Venus figures

62. Paul Mellars , a Cambridge anthropologist, has proposed that they reflect an “obsession with sex,” and are an early form of pornography

63. Our modern ideals of “beauty” are probably very different from what they were in ancient times:

64. “The people who made this statue lived in a harsh ice-age environment where features of fatness and fertility would have been highly desirable. In neurological terms, these features amounted to hyper-normal stimuli that activate neuron responses in the brain. So in Paleolithic people terms, the parts that mattered most had to do with successful reproduction – the breasts and pelvic girdle. Therefore, these parts were isolated and amplified by the artist’s brain.” Venus of Willendorf:  Exaggerated Beauty (PBS)

65. Brian Crowson , The Birth of Venus , 2013 Image source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/465489311457291876/ The “pornography” hypothesis is based on the assumption that the artists who made these statues were men

66. Dr. Jill Cook, curator of European pre-history at the British museum Dr. Jill Cook, curator of European Pre-History at the British Museum, believes the figures were made by women

67. Drawing upon the work of anthropologist Leroy McDermott, she argues that the strange distortions of the figures reflect the perspective of women looking down at their own bodies

68. This also accounts for the lack of faces – without mirrors, the artist would not be able to see the features of their own face

69. Venus of Willendorf , c . 28,000-25,000 BCE Natural History Museum, Vienna Female Figurine (Venus of Kostenki ), c . 23,000- 21,000 BCE Limestone; Hermitage Museum Despite differences of opinion, most experts agree that the figures have something to do with fertility, because all of the emphasis seems to be on the childbearing aspects of the body

70. In fact, it is quite remarkable how the figures capture the characteristic traits of the pregnant female body

71. THE OLDEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD For many years the Venus of Willendorf  was believed to be the oldest representation of a human being

72. Venus of Hohle Fels , c . 35,000-40,000 BCE Photo: H. Jensen © Universität Tübingen .  Image source: http://donsmaps.com/hohlefelsvenus.htm But the discovery of the Venus of Hohle Fels  in 2008 changed all that

73. Measuring only 2.4 inches tall, this tiny little figure dates to 35,000 BCE, and is now recognized as the oldest representation of a human yet to be found

74. Instead of a head, the figure has a small loop, indicating that it might have been worn as a pendant

75. Venus of Hohle Fels , c . 35,000-40,000 BCE Photo: H. Jensen © Universität Tübingen .  Image source: http://donsmaps.com/hohlefelsvenus.htm While the figure may appear grotesque to us, its emphasis on female fertility is unmistakable

76. Venus of Hohle Fels , c . 35,000-40,000 BCE Photo: H. Jensen © Universität Tübingen .  Image source: http://donsmaps.com/hohlefelsvenus.htm “You couldn’t get more female than this,” says Nicholas Conard , the Ohio-born archaeologist whose University of Tübingen team found the sculpture at the bottom of a vaulted cave in southwestern Germany in the fall of 2008. “Head and legs don’t matter. This is about sex, reproduction.” Smithsonian Magazine

77. Thanks for listening! Next up: Paleolithic Cave Paintings

78. Paleolithic Art Lascaux Cave

79. The most spectacular examples of Paleolithic art can be found in the painted caves of France and Spain

80. Amongst the most famous are  Lascaux ,  Altamira ,  Pech Merle ,  Niaux , and  Chauvet

81. The artists who decorated these caves invested a great deal of effort in making them Image source: https://www.q-files.com/prehistoric/story-of-humans/cave-paintings

82. Image source: https://www.q-files.com/prehistoric/story-of-humans/cave-paintings Caves are inhospitable environments (they’re dark, damp, and cold, and home to scary creatures like lions, bears, snakes, and bats), and many of the paintings are located in remote chambers that are difficult to access

83. Image source: https://www.q-files.com/prehistoric/story-of-humans/cave-paintings With no natural light available, the pictures had to be made using torches, and in some cases scaffolds were built to reach high ceilings and walls

84. Image source: https://www.q-files.com/prehistoric/story-of-humans/cave-paintings Since people didn’t actually live in the caves, it is unlikely they were made for “decoration”

85. Image source: https://www.q-files.com/prehistoric/story-of-humans/cave-paintings We also know that the pictures were made over a long period of time – sometimes thousands of years – so it is likely that their meaning and purpose was quite significant.

86. The most famous Paleolithic cave is Lascaux, located in the Dordogne region of France

87. Entrance to the Lascaux Cave at the end of September, 1940. From left to right: Leon Laval, Marcel Ravidat , Jacques Marsal and Henri Breuil Image source: http://www.american-buddha.com/lascaux.7a.htm It was discovered in 1940 by four teenagers who stumbled upon it by accident, and it was opened to the public in 1948

88. But in1963 the cave was closed because exposure to carbon dioxide had caused the pictures to deteriorate at an alarming rate -- tourists can now visit Lascaux 2, a full-scale replica

89. The cave consists of a complex network of chambers and passageways, and is decorated with as many as 900 images of animals

90. The pictures were made using mineral chunks for drawing, or ground to a powder and mixed with water and fat to make paint

91. Paint brushes were made from animal hair or chewed twigs

92. The artists also used blow tubes to apply pigments, as well as “spitting” – a prehistoric version of “airbrushing”!

93. Image source: http://www.schoolsprehistory.co.uk/2014/09/19/new-survey-open-for-teachers-on-changes-in-britain-from-the-stone-age-to-the-iron-age /

94. Spotted horses and negative hand prints, Pech -Merle, France, c . 22,000 BCE That is how we believe the negative hand prints were made in this image of a spotted horse from Pech Merle

95. Animals dominate the imagery at Lascaux

96. Hall of Bulls, Lascaux, c . 15,000-13,000BCE This is the Hall of Bulls (also called the Rotunda), one of the larger and more impressive spaces at Lascaux

97. Hall of Bulls, Lascaux, c . 15,000-13,000BCE It is decorated with three groups of animals: horses, cattle (cows and bulls), and stags Horses Bulls Stags

98. The axial gallery includes horses, cows, a black bull, and a bison Axial Gallery, Lascaux, c . 15,000- 13,000BCE Photo credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNP http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_02.xml

99. The Great Hall of Bulls, Lascaux Photo credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNP http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01.xml The animals are very large in scale, and are often painted (or “super imposed”) one on top of the other, without regard for scale

100. In this image, the larger bull was painted right on top of a smaller horse, so they don’t appear to have any kind of a narrative relationship

101. The animals are painted without a ground line, or any indication of setting

102. A ground line is simply a line that indicates “place” by establishing where the ground is

103. Without a ground line, the figures seem to float, with no clear location of where they are in space

104. The animals were drawn in one of two ways: using a contour line (or outline), or in a flat silhouette

105. Second Bull, Great Hall of Bulls, Lascaux Photo credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNP http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01_00_07.xml In this image the bull is rendered with a simple outline

106. The Great Black Cow, The Nave, Lascaux Photo credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNP http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_04_00_05.xml While this cow is rendered as a silhouette

107. The animals are always shown in profile – that is, from the side

108. Write this down! Image source: http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-illustration-6322985-farm-animal-silhouette-collection.php This is because the profile view offers the most informative angle

109. Poor guy! He only has two legs! A more complicated angle would conceal important information that would make it difficult to identify the animal

110. Second Bull, Great Hall of Bulls, Lascaux Photo credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNP http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01_00_07.xml But the perspective of the animals is inconsistent

111. Second Bull, Great Hall of Bulls, Lascaux Photo credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNP http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01_00_07.xml This bull is rendered from the side, but the horns are “twisted” so that they are seen from the front

112. Second Bull, Great Hall of Bulls, Lascaux Photo credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNP http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01_00_07.xml This convention, where the animal is represented in a combination of frontal and profile views is called twisted perspective  TWISTED PERSPECTIVE: The body is seen from the side, but the horns are shown frontally

113. Second Bull, Great Hall of Bulls, Lascaux Photo credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNP http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01_00_07.xml It means that the artist did not depict the animal exactly the way it appeared to the eye (what is called “optical perspective”); instead, the artist adjusted the image to conform to what the mind knows to be true (this is called “conceptual perspective”)

114. So what is the dominant subject matter of Paleolithic art? Doris Day in Teachers Pet (1958) Image source: http://www.dorisday.net/teacher_s_pet.html

115. Common Subjects So far, we have seen only animals and women . . .

116. What, no men?

117. Men are actually RARE in Paleolithic art! Doris Day in Teachers Pet (1958) Image source: http://www.dorisday.net/teacher_s_pet.html

118. The Shaft Scene, Lascaux There are a few rare representations of humans in cave paintings.  The most famous is the so-called Shaft Scene at Lascaux (also called the “Well Scene” or “Scene of the Dead Man”), located in a deep shaft within the cave

119. The Shaft Scene, Lascaux While the animals are remarkable in their naturalism (i.e. lifelike in character), the man is a simple stick-figure with a bird-like head

120. The Shaft Scene, Lascaux The scene suggests a dramatic narrative, since the man seems to be threatened by a bison that rears its head ferociously

121. The Shaft Scene, Lascaux The bison has been wounded, either by a spear, or by the rhinoceros that exits the scene to the left, and we can see his entrails spilling out from his loins.

122. The Shaft Scene, Lascaux This scene is unique in Paleolithic art for two reasons:   because it depicts a man because it seems to tell a story

123. Thanks for Listening! Next up: The Cave at Chauvet

124. Chauvet Pont d’Arc

125. The cave at Chauvet Pont d’Arc was discovered in 1994

126. When it was discovered it was a big deal because it was the oldest cave yet to be discovered

127. It also overturned everything we thought we knew about cave art!

128. So let’s review what we have learned about the typical characteristics of cave art so we can appreciate just how unique the imagery at Chauvet really is

129. SUBJECT MATTER: horses, cattle (cows and bulls), and stags

130. Although impressive in size, these animals are “herbivores,” which means they do not prey on meat

131. Predatory animals like lions, tigers, and bears, were rarely represented – and when they were, they were depicted in remote sections of the cave

132. Second Bull, Great Hall of Bulls, Lascaux Photo credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNP http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01_00_07.xml We also learned that animals were typically depicted in twisted perspective, where the body is shown in profile, but the horns are “twisted” frontally TWISTED PERSPECTIVE: The body is seen from the side, but the horns are shown frontally

133. The Shaft Scene, Lascaux We also learned that narrative scenes are rare – as in the so-called “shaft scene” at Lascaux, where the stick-figure man, the bison, and rhinoceros, seemed to be conceived together to tell a story

134. The Great Hall of Bulls, Lascaux Photo credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNP http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01.xml Elsewhere at Lascaux, the animals are placed randomly – sometimes painted one on top of one another – so they were not intended to be seen as a cohesive narrative

135. At Chauvet , we see lots of predatory animals, including lions and bears Chauvet Cave, Vallon-Pont-d’Arc . c . 30,000-28,000 or 15,000-13,000 BCE.  

136. Instead of being randomly placed, the animals seem to have been conceived together in a narrative scene, as seen in the fighting rhinos here

137. We also see a sophisticated use of shading to make the animal heads seem rounded – rather than a flat silhouette

138. And the animal horns are seen in true perspective, rather than twisted frontally

139. We also see the use of repetition to create the effect of movement through time

140. The images are like key frames in an animation

141. Prior to the discovery at Chauvet , it was assumed that the earliest art would be crude and un-sophisticated, and became more naturalistic over time

142. But the discovery of Chauvet seemed to reverse that progression

143. The older cave actually reveals more sophisticated techniques such as shading, perspective, and narrative

144. Thanks for Listening! Next up: Theories of Interpretation

145. Paleolithic Art Theories of Interpretation

146. There have been many theories to explain the possible meaning and purpose of Paleolithic cave painting, but the absence of any written history makes it impossible to ever know for sure Dr. Jean Clottes , one of the leading pre-historians who has studied the caves of France and Spain

147. Tony Husband, “Private View,” Image source: http://www.megalithic.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=a312&file=index&do=showpic&pid=80569 Art for Art’s Sake One of the oldest theories is called  Art for Art’s Sake

148. Tony Husband, “Private View,” Image source: http://www.megalithic.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=a312&file=index&do=showpic&pid=80569 This theory proposes that the images were made for purely aesthetic reasons (i.e. for decoration )

149. Tony Husband, “Private View,” Image source: http://www.megalithic.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=a312&file=index&do=showpic&pid=80569 But this theory has been dismissed by most experts, for a variety of reasons:

150. In the first place, it is unlikely that our ancient ancestors had the kind of “leisure time” that would have been necessary to create these works Image source: https://www.q-files.com/prehistoric/story-of-humans/cave-paintings

151. Secondly , caves are very inhospitable environments, so it would have been impossible to simply “enjoy” the pictures Image source: https://www.q-files.com/prehistoric/story-of-humans/cave-paintings

152. Given the time and effort it took to create these works of art, most experts believe that the images must have had deeper symbolic meaning or purpose than just “ decoration” Image source: https://www.q-files.com/prehistoric/story-of-humans/cave-paintings

153. The paleontologist Abbe Breuil in the Lascaux cave in1948 Image source: http://www.la-croix.com/Culture/Simon-Coencas-dernier-aventurier-grotte-Lascaux-2016-12-08- 1300808960 The most popular theory of interpretation was developed by the French priest and pre-historian Abbe Breuil in an influential book published in 1952

154. His analysis was based on ethnographic comparisons with aboriginal tribes who practiced a form of sympathetic magic in their hunting rituals:

155. “ Breuil claimed that the Paleolithic rock paintings, like those of the Arunta , were created in ceremonies intended to multiply game animals, as well as to ensure successful kills by means of magical images of slaughtered prey . . . Hunting Magic and Abbe Breuil

156. “By making images of animals penetrated by spears, the cave hunters were attempting to kill the animals the images resembled, or, more precisely, to render the game susceptible to being killing by hunting parties” Hunting Magic and Abbe Breuil

157. Image source: http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/?p=3662 The theory is called Sympathetic Magic, and it is based on the principle of “like produces like”

158. Image source: http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/?p=3662 “What is done to the properly made image of an object is done to that object itself, as when a sorcerer sticks pins in a doll resembling his victim in an effort to destroy him. By making images of animals penetrated by spears, the cave hunters were attempting to kill the animals the images resembled, or, more precisely, to render the game susceptible to being killing by hunting parties.” Hunting Magic and Abbe Breuil

159. Second Bull, Great Hall of Bulls, Lascaux Photo credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNP http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01_00_07.xml According to this theory, the ancient hunter would draw a picture of an animal and “kill” it, magically bringing him luck in the hunt

160. Second Bull, Great Hall of Bulls, Lascaux Photo credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNP http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01_00_07.xml This particular version of Sympathetic Magic is called “Hunting Magic” – and there is plenty of visual evidence to support it

161. Many of the paintings appear to have spears or nick marks, suggesting they had been ritually “killed”

162. Many of the small portable sculptures depicting animals also have markings such as “X’s” suggesting they have been symbolically wounded as a way to bring luck in the hunt

163. There are several drawbacks to the theory of Sympathetic Magic:  in the first place, ethnographic comparisons lack scientific proof:  just because a living aboriginal society today engages in practices that appear similar to what may have occurred amongst our ancient tribal ancestors, this does not constitute reliable “evidence”

164. The Great Hall of Bulls, Lascaux Photo credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNP http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01.xml But one of the most significant drawbacks to the theory of Sympathetic Magic is that the animals depicted were not the animals that were actually eaten!

165. The Great Hall of Bulls, Lascaux Photo credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNP http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01.xml “Today’s researchers have consistently demonstrated that the animals most often represented in Paleolithic caves are among the ones least frequently consumed as food. The people who lived under the ceiling and in the cave entry at Altamira ate almost no bison, dining primarily on the meat of red deer ( Cervus elaphus ). Likewise, at Lascaux images of horses, bovids and red deer dominate, whereas reindeer, the primary dietary item in the food debris, aren’t depicted at all.” Randall White, “Looking for Biilogical Meaning in Cave Art” (Book Review), American Scientist (July-August 2006)

166. The other type of Sympathetic Magic described by Abbe Breuil is called “Fertility Magic”

167. Second Bull, Great Hall of Bulls, Lascaux Photo credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNP http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01_00_07.xml While Hunting magic was intended to bring about the destruction of animals, Fertility Magic did the opposite

168. If a hunter wanted to increase the herd, he might picture a pregnant animal, or “multiply” the number of animals in the picture, as if to achieve a magical “multiplication” of the herds

169. Venus of Willendorf , c . 28,000-25,000 BCE Natural History Museum, Vienna Female Figurine (Venus of Kostenki ), c . 23,000- 21,000 BCE Limestone; Hermitage Museum The so-called Venus figures may well have functioned as a form of Fertility Magic

170. Before the days of fertility drugs, magic was all they had!

171. Third Chinese Horse, Axial Gallery Photo credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNP http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_02_00_08.xml The so-called “Chinese Horses” from Lascaux illustrates the visual evidence used to support the Fertility Magic theory

172. Third Chinese Horse, Axial Gallery Photo credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNP http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_02_00_08.xml The horses’ swelling bellies may indicate they are pregnant – thus expressing the desire for the herds to multiply

173. A recent theory is that cave paintings were created as part of shamanistic rituals

174. San healing ritual, Bradshaw Foundation http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/rari/page3.php The theory is b ased on ethnographic comparison with the San people of Africa

175. San healing ritual, Bradshaw Foundation http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/rari/page3.php “ Noting the similarity of prehistoric rock art with that created by some contemporary traditional societies, archaeologists Jean Clottes and David Lewis-Williams suggest that the ancient images were created by shamans, powerful individuals who were able to contact the spirit world through trance and ritual. ” http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/books/shamans_of_prehistory.php

176. A somewhat different theory was put forth by Alexander Marshack , an amateur Paleontologist who became a research associate at the Peabody Museum at Harvard

177. He believed that much ice age art functioned as seasonal calendars

178. The Blanchard Bone, c . 25,000-32,000 BCE carved segment of reindeer bone found in the Blanchard rock shelter, France Image source: http://donsmaps.com/cavepaintings.html His study began with the Blanchard Bone, a small piece of reindeer bone dating to 25,000-32,000 BCE

179. When he studied the bone closely (using high tech magnification equipment) he discovered that the markings corresponded to the phases of the moon over a two month period. He concluded that the bone was actually a lunar calendar !

180. Why would that be Important?

181. It means they could predict the change of seasons and when the animals would begin their migrations Which means they could have control over their environment

182. Marshack also studied other artifacts, such as the carved antler pictured above. It had been lying around in a museum in France for years, and everybody assumed it was just an example of Hunting Magic

183. The bone was engraved with several apparently unrelated elements: there is a bull and cow seal, and an upside down salmon with the distinctive hook that it grows during the Spring mating season Male + female seals Salmon

184. There are also two snakes, with their genitals prominently showing — an occurrence that is also common during Spring mating season Snakes

185. Markings that were previously thought to be harpoons turned out to be a type of plant that is common in France in the Spring

186. Finally, Marshack noted a schematic rendering of an ibex with an “X” over it — as if it had been symbolically killed

187. He observed that even today the ibex come down from the mountains to graze in the valleys in the (you guessed it) Spring

188. Marshack concluded that the bone was not an example of Hunting Magic (as had previously been believed) but was instead a “seasonal calendar” recording the coming of Spring

189. Ishango Bone, c . 25,000-20,000 BCE Although Marshack’s theory remains a matter of  debate , there are many archaeological finds that suggest our human ancestors were a lot smarter than we thought (hey, they had the same brain capacity as us!)

190. Ishango Bone, c . 25,000-20,000 BCE The  Ishango Bone , for example, is another exciting artifact that may indicate the very first evidence of mathematical notation!

191. Ishango Bone, c . 25,000-20,000 BCE The bone appears to have been a “tally stick,” with the lines indicating numbers

192. Genevieve Von Petzinger , who has studied the abstract markings in Paleolithic caves These kinds of discoveries have led others to wonder if writing existed far earlier than previously suspected

193. The caves are actually filled with abstract notations such as dots, tectiforms , and meanders that may represent an early form of writing

194. Genevieve Von Petzinger has assembled a comprehensive database of these symbols, with the goal of figuring out how to decode them

195. Some experts have proposed that the “dots” that appear on the walls at Lascaux may refer to stars

196. They argue that the Lascaux cave paintings are actually “star maps” that correlate with the constellations of the night sky

197. Several Paleontologists have observed that there seems to be a consistent sequence to the placement of animals in cave paintings (certain animals tend to appear in certain locations, while other kinds of animals appear in other kinds of locations), and that specific information about seasonal behaviors is included in the pictures (summer and winter coats; antlers and horns that change according to season, or even mating rituals).

198. Norbert Ajoulet has recently proposed that the placement of animals was intended to represent the changing seasons

199. In his analysis of the Hall of Bulls at Lascaux, for example, he notes that the horses (representing early Spring) were painted first; then the Aurochs (representing Summer) were added later, and the stags (representing Autumn) were added next:

200. “Analysis of seasonal indicators establishes that each species represented at Lascaux represents a very specific period of the calendar. The horses mark the end of winter or the beginning of spring, the aurochs high summer, whereas the stags have been represented with the attributes of autumn. This is not by chance. Each of these species has been represented at a quite explicit phase of the annual cycle, at the beginning of mating. At this time, they are extremely active and animated . . . The iconography of this cave is, above all, a fantastic ode to life.” Norbert Aujoulet, “Lascaux:  Movement, Space, and Time,” Editions du Seuil, Paris, 2005 

201. This suggests a quite sophisticated level of symbolism that goes well beyond the simplistic theory of Hunting Magic!  

202. Calling Lascaux the “Sistine Chapel of Prehistory,” Ajoulet argues that the images represent a complex cosmology about the origins of time, the cycle of life, and the changing of the seasons — an epic theme that indeed parallels the grand story of Creation that Michelangelo depicted on the Sistine Ceiling!

203. Dr. Jean Clottes , one of the leading pre-historians who has studied the caves of France and Spain ' Some archaeologists think that it is impossible to know what rock art means and that the researcher's role is to study motifs and techniques, try to date the works, establish as far as possible whether these images were structurally linked, but not attempt to interpret them. From their point of view, we are faced with a choice: either say nothing at all about meaning, or make up stories that might seem interesting but would lack any objective, scientific basis.’ Dr. Jean Clottes , “World Rock Art,” 2002 http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/chauvet/chauvet_cave_paintings.php But as Dr. Jean Clottes observed, we can never know the true meaning of the caves because the lack of written history makes it impossible to verify our theories

204. Dr. Jean Clottes , one of the leading pre-historians who has studied the caves of France and Spain ' Some archaeologists think that it is impossible to know what rock art means and that the researcher's role is to study motifs and techniques, try to date the works, establish as far as possible whether these images were structurally linked, but not attempt to interpret them. From their point of view, we are faced with a choice: either say nothing at all about meaning, or make up stories that might seem interesting but would lack any objective, scientific basis.’ Dr. Jean Clottes , “World Rock Art,” 2002 http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/chauvet/chauvet_cave_paintings.php But inclosing, I’ll mention a few other tantalizing questions that continue to intrigue the experts

205. Spotted horses and negative hand prints, Pech -Merle, France, c . 22,000 BCE Were caves classrooms? This image of a spotted horse include hand prints and footprints on the ground that are children-sized, suggesting the space might have been used as a kind of classroom

206. Were the first calendars made by women charting their menstrual cycles?

207. Were the animals painted in the caves worshipped as gods?

208. As we will see, in later societies the gods will take on the attributes of animals, recalling the majestic creatures painted on the walls of caves

209. © www.CartoonStock.com

210. Thanks for Listening! Next up: Neolithic Art