Un nouveau Saïga pariétal (Grotte du Colombier, Ardèche)

Abstract

On the occasion of this previously unpublished parietal representation of the Saïga antelope in the cave at Colombier (Ardèche, France), of which a detailed description is supplied including its position in the cave, the support and its techno-stylistic characteristics, a critical review of all the known representations of the Saïga in parietal art has been carried out. In fact there are at present only six representations of this animal on cave walls, which are known to offer sufficient detail of the species to permit their identification and one of these representations has still to be published. As a basis for the diagnosis, a zoological study of the species is supplied. In order to envisage the place that the Saïga figures could hold in superior Paleolithique man's thinking, first of all a study comparing the different representations, in particular locality, degree of symbolism, association, style – exclusively due to the engraving technique – has been made. Confirmation of the Saïga as an indicator of climatic conditions is reinforced by the presence of its image at Solutrian and Magdalenian at the same point in time.