http://SaturnianCosmology.Org/ mirrored file For complete access to all the files of this collection see http://SaturnianCosmology.org/search.php ========================================================== Back to Don's Maps Back to Cave Paintings Page Cave Paintings and Sculptures Page 2 Click on the photos to see an enlarged version engraving old oxbone The world's oldest engraving on an ox rib from Pech de l'Azé in the Dordogne region, dating to the early part of the Riss glaciation. There are many other markings on the bone, most of which were probably due to naturally caused damage in the ground. The bone is nearly 17 centimeters long and may date to about 200 000 B.C. Photo: Secrets of the Ice Age by Evan Hadingham, 1980 long necked animal Grotte de Belvis (Aude) - Magdalénien supérieur récent - 12 270 ± 270. Grue gravée sur un tronçon de côte d'ongulé (longueur : 13,5 cm). Faut-il voir une évocation de la saison, retour du printemps ou venue de l'automne, dans cette figuration du grand migrateur ? Grotte de Belvis (Aude) - recent higher Magdalenien - 12 270 ± 270 BP. Crane engraved on a section of bone (length: 13.5 cm). Is it possible to see an evocation of the season, the return of spring or the arrival of the autumn, in this depiction of a large migratory bird? slhouettes Station de Gönnersdorf (Rhénanie-Palatinat) - Magdalénien supérieur - vers 12 600 - Ces silhouettes féminines, sans tête ni bras, gravées sur une plaquette de schiste (11,8 x 10,8 cm), se distinguent, par leur remplissage de traits, des quelques 400 autres figurations de femmes mises au jour sur ce site. Station of Gönnersdorf (the Rhineland-Palatinat) - higher Magdalénien - around 12 600 BP - These female silhouettes, without head or arms, are engraved on a schist plate (11,8 X 10,8 cm), are distinguished by their shading, as for some 400 other depictions of women on this site. At this site there is a walkway between two huts, with the female figurines in one of them. This is believed by some to be a female initiation site. Engraved Teeth tooth Grotte de La Marche (Vienne) - Magdalénien moyen - Incisive de cheval ornementée d'un motif triangulaire gravé à connotation sexuelle féminine évidente (longueur : 5 cm environ) Grotte de La Marche (Vienna) - middle Magdalenien - Incisor horse tooth ornamented with an engraved triangular motif with obvious female sexual connotation (length: approximately 5 cm) teeth Grotte Gazel (Aude) - Magdalénien moyen - 15070 ± 270 Éléments de parure; de gauche à droite: incisive de renne, incisive de lièvre, canine de renard, canine de cerf. (long.; 2 cm) Grotte Gazel (Aude) Some ornamentation; Middle Magdalenien - 15070 ± 270 From left to right: incisor of reindeer, incisor of hare, canine of fox, canine of stag. Length 2 cm. Le Masque Moustérien de la Roche-Cotard à Langeais (Indre-et-Loire) By Jean-Claude Marquet Text and photo from: http://ma.prehistoire.free.fr/masque.htm neandertal art The site of la Roche-Cotard was discovered at the beginning of the 20th century but the Mousterien level (Roche-Cotard II), located in front of the opening of the cave, has been known only for 25 years. In this dwelling site a very special object undoubtedly prepared by humans was discovered: it is a flint having a natural hole in which a small piece of bone has been placed. This object which makes one think of a human or animal face is an exceptional witness of the slow advance of humanity towards the beginning of illustrated art. The only dating obtained for this Mousterien site (which contained some rare tools) from the fragments of bone gives 32000 years "or more". "The Mask" consists of a small flat flint which was modified to accentuate its resemblance to a face: (1) a small piece of bone was inserted in a natural hole in the stone and fixed by two small stones; (2) the stone was then improved to obtain greater symmetry. "The Mask" is regarded as "a proto-figurine", one of the first steps towards the art of the upper Paleolithic. It is an exceptional object because the mousterian culture is not known to give this type of artistic production. If Mousterian civilization is specific to Neandertals in Europe, "the Mask" thus leads us to think that Neandertals were capable of an artistic production more advanced than than anyone suspected until now. This protofigurine is a flint improved by Mousterians to accentuate the appearance of a face which the stone offered. Version française neandertal art Le site de la Roche-Cotard a été découvert au début du XXe siècle mais le niveau moustérien (La Roche-Cotard II), situé devant l'ouverture de la grotte, n'est connu que depuis 25 ans. Dans ce niveau d'habitation a été découvert un objet très spécial indubitablement préparé par l'Homme : c'est un silex possédant un trou naturel dans lequel est placée une petite esquille d'os. Cet objet qui fait penser à une face humaine ou animale est un témoin exceptionnel du lent cheminement de l'humanité vers l'avènement de l'art figuré. La seule datation obtenue pour ce niveau moustérien qui contenait quelques rares outils et des fragments d'os donne 32000 ans "ou plus". Le "Masque" consiste en un petit silex plat qui a été modifié pour accentuer sa ressemblance avec un visage : (1) un petit éclat d'os a été inséré dans un orifice naturel de la pierre et calé par deux petites pierres ; (2) la pierre a été ensuite retouchée pour obtenir une symétrie. Le "Masque" est considéré comme une "proto-figurine", l'un des prémices vers l'art du Paléolithique supérieur. C'est un objet exceptionnel car la culture moustérienne n'est pas connue pour donner ce type de production artistique. Si la civilisation moustérienne est bien comme on le croit spécifique de l'Homme de Neandertal en Europe, le "Masque" donne ainsi à penser que les Néandertaliens étaient capables d'une production artistique plus évoluée que ce que l'on soupçonnait jusqu'à présent. Cette protofigurine est un silex retouché par des Moustériens pour accentuer l'apparence de visage qu'offrait la pierre. chauvetcave Chauvet Cave head head head These portraits of humans are engravings on stone slabs at La Marche, Vienne, France, and are more than 14000 years old. Photo: P. Bahn 'Prehistoric Art' striated face Grotte de La Marche, Lussac-les-Châteaux (Vienne), Tête humaine vue de face, Grotte de La Marche, Lussac-les Ch5teaux (Vienne). Tête humaine avec ornement facial. Très profondément incisés, des traits de gravure parallèles couvrent la joue. Il peut s'agir de peintures corporelles ou de scarifications. Grotte de La Marche, Lussac-les-Châteaux (Vienne, France). Human head with facial ornament. Very deeply incised, with parallel lines covering the cheek. They could be body paintings or scarifications. head head Du côté gauche : grotte de La Marche, Lussac-les-Châteaux (Vienne), Tête humaine vue de face, relevé sélectif. Ce visage a I'apparence de celui d'un homme âgé, peut-être un vieillard. On the left: Grotte de La Marche, Lussac-les-Châteaux (Vienne, France). Face of what appears to be an old man. Du côté droit : grotte de La Marche, Lussac-les-Châteaux (Vienne). Têtes humaines affrontées, On remarque, en particulier, des éléments de coiffure : bonnets probablement. On the right: Grotte de La Marche, Lussac-les-Châteaux (Vienne, France). Faces of two children wearing what appear to be hats. Photos from: Agenda de la Préhistoire 2002 - 2003, a superb diary with excellent illustrations sent to me by Anya. My thanks as always. abri blanchard A painted abri broken in fragments (Abri Blanchard, Sergeac). The Aurignacians at the Abri Blanchard also painted the ceiling of their rock-shelter, which collapsed due to frost during the coldest period of the Wurm glaciation, thus shattering the decoration. On a large wall fragment, one can still read the black lines against a red background, which depict the limbs and ballooned stomach of an animal that probably represents a horse. The rest was destroyed. From 1910 to 1911, Abri Blanchard was studied by Louis Didon and his trusty excavator Marcel Castanet (Musee du Perigord). Photo: 'Discovering Perigord Prehistory' by B & G Delluc, A Roussot & J Roussot-Larroque. My thanks to Sharon Rogers/walkhound for alerting me to this excellent book. ibexspearthrower Spearthrower made of antler showing a young ibex with an emerging turd on which two birds are perched, found around 1940 in the cave of Le Mas d'Azil, Ariege. The ibex figure is about 7 cm long, and dates to about 16000 BP. This was one of the first examples of mass produced art. Fragments of up to ten examples of this design have been found, which means that scores or hundreds must have been manufactured originally. The joke must have been very popular amongst the people of the time! Photo: P. Bahn 'Prehistoric Art' abri blanchard Carving from La Madeleine in the Dordogne that probably served as the weighted end of a spear thrower. Note the peculiar bridle pattern on the muzzle. This is a good argument against similar patterns on horses being representations of halters. mammoth engraving Woolly Mammoth engraved on a plate of ivory found in the cavern of La Madelaine, Perigord Photo: C. Lyell 'The Antiquity of Man' (1873) mammoth carving Mammouth gravé sur un gros fragment d'ivoire de mammouth trouvé lors des fouilles de l'abri-sous-roche de La Madeleine près des Eyzies par Edouard Lartet en mai 1864. Photo H. Delporte. Mammoth engraved on a large fragment of mammoth ivory found at the time of the excavations of the rock shelter of the Madeleine close of Eyzies by Edouard Lartet in May 1864. Photo H. Delporte. Photo and French text: "les mammouths - Dossiers Archéologie - n° 291 - Mars 2004" My thanks to Anya for access to this resource. Text below from: 'Cro-Magnon Man' by T. Prideaux, an excellent introduction to the subject: 'By 1867, the march of archaeology reached a milestone in the grand Exposition Universelle in Paris. Sponsored by Napoleon 111, the big fair paid homage to industry and culture. It introduced an oddly ominous vehicle called a batteuse, or locomobile, that was supposed to prove useful as a steam-driven thresher. The United States, though still shaken by the Civil War, sent a display of rubber goods, including a life raft, and a new drink-much sampled in the American bar on a gaslit promenade --- called a mint julep. As a bow to ancient culture, a replica was built of Egypt's Temple of Philae on the Nile. But far more ancient, and more astonishing, was a small but comprehensive exhibit of prehistoric artifacts, assembled from all over Europe. The visitors peered at elegantly shaped flint lance heads from Dordogne and hand axes found in the Somme Valley. The real crowd-catcher was a collection of 51 pieces of prehistoric art, including an engraving of a mammoth on ivory, which had been found in 1864 by Lartet and Christy beneath a rocky overhang at La Madeleine near Les Eyzies. All over Paris people talked about it and the other examples of prehistoric art exhibited because the art obliged them to revise their hazy estimates of these primitive cave creatures. (One enthusiast offered a million francs for the collection.) Clearly, men capable of such controlled artistry could not be utter barbarians. But who were they? Where did they come from? What were they called?' salmon A metre long life size salmon, made on the overhang of Abri du Poisson in the Gorge d'Enfer is the only sculpted representation of a fish, an animal rarely depicted in cave art, although it appears more often in portable art. There was an attempt made once to steal this sculpture, and the thieves were disturbed at the point where they had put a series of holes around the sculpture ready to undercut it. This photo is probably of a well made cast of the original, since it appears to be free standing. Sharon Rogers tells me the original is still in place, on the ceiling of a small cave just south of Laugerie Haute. Click on the image to see a close up. Photo: 'Discovering Perigord Prehistory' by B & G Delluc, A Roussot & J Roussot-Larroque. My thanks to Sharon Rogers/walkhound who alerted me to the existence of this excellent book. Phases of the moon Phases of the moon Bone plaque from the Abri Blanchard, Sergeac, France, with enlargement of the series of pits, suggested to indicate phases of the moon (drawing after Marshack, A. 1970. /Notation dans les Gravures du Paléolithique Supérieur/, Bordeaux, Delmas.) Colour photo: source unknown The following text is from the useful book, 'The Prehistory of Europe' by Patricia Phillips, Allen Lane 1980: A controversial but imaginative approach to Palaeolithic art has been used over the past decade by Alexander Marshack. This worker believes he has detected notation and symbolism in Upper Palaeolithic art. He investigates artifacts by means of a high-powered microscope, and is also working on the development of spectroscopic techniques for analysis of compositions in the painted caves. The majority of his published results concern mobiliary art; a more recent publication of his draws together evidence for symbolism in the Mousterian, which he regards as the background to the sophistication evident in the early Upper Palaeolithic. One of Marshack's early reports concerned the lines of pits, strokes or notches cut into six bone or stone plaques of the Aurignacian period, housed at the Musée des Antiquités Nationales at St-Germain-en-Laye. He concluded that the pits occurred in multiples of thirty to thirty-one, and were produced by a series of techniques, for instance stabbing, curving to the left or to the right. In a bone plaque from the Abri Blanchard, Sergeac, Dordogne, in sixty-nine marks there were twenty-four changes in the type of pitting /(see figure above)/. According to Marshack the type of technique changes with the different phases of the moon, when the moon becomes crescent-shaped, full or dark. The Abri Blanchard plaque bore eighty-one marginal marks which, in addition to the original sixty-nine, would comprise a record of about six months. Similar analysis suggested that the marks on both sides of a schist pebble from Barma Grande on the Riviera amounted to a total tally of fifteen months. A decorated bone bearing the design of a horse and rows of pits from La Marche, central France, bore a lunar notation of seven and a half months; the horse had been 're-used' several times. These markings could possibly have been used to represent the seasonal sequence of regional phenomena or economic activities, or ceremonies. 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