Cave Paintings Research Articles

The Network

The Network

Hands Stencils in El Castillo Cave (Puente Viesgo, Cantabria, Spain). An Interdisciplinary Study

Our Palaeolithic ancestors did not make good representations of themselves on the rocky surfaces of caves and barring certain exceptions – such as the case of La Marche (found on small slabs of stone or plaquettes) or the Cueva de Ambrosio – the few known examples can only be referred to as anthropomorphs. As such, only hand stencils give us a real picture of the people who came before us. Hand stencils and imprints provide us with a large amount of information that allows us to approach not only their physical appearance but also to infer less tangible details, such as the preferential use of one hand over the other (i.e., handedness). Both new and/or mature technologies as well as digital processing of images, computers with the ability to process very high resolution images, and a more extensive knowledge of the Palaeolithic figures all help us to analyse thoroughly the hands in El Castillo cave. The interdisciplinary study presented here contributes many novel developments based on real data, representing a major step forward in knowledge about our predecessors.

Measuring biological diversity

As prehistoric cave paintings illustrate, our species has had an enduring appreciation of the variety and abundance of life on Earth. Today, however, concern is focused on the pressure humanity is placing on the natural world, and on the continued ability of ecosystems to deliver the services on which we all depend. To understand the extent of this 'biodiversity crisis' and develop strategies to ameliorate its impact, it is essential to be able to accurately measure biological diversity (a term often contracted to biodiversity) and make informed predictions about how and why this diversity varies over space and time.

The Afterlives of Jātaka Deer’s Compassion – In memory of our dog Baibai

This essay evaluates how exhibitions of prehistoric sites and cave art engage a worldwide public to address the issue of animal compassion, consciousness, and pain. The essay also analyzes the significance of representing archaeological discoveries in the global context of human-caused endangerment and the mass extinction of animals, flora, and fauna, including the eventual prospect of the mass extinction of homo sapiens proper. Today, in the midst of what some scientists call a sixth mass extinction event, the daily loss of species has produced desperate efforts to conserve habitats and preserve relics of extinct animals for a posterity increasingly defined by the scarcity of creation, with the acceleration of the representation of absence the only sustainable growth. Originally found in the Jātaka tradition, the story of Jātaka Deer crystallized Buddhist compassion. However, through decades of national preservation and propagandistic utilization, it met the fate of destruction in the process. For whatever poiesis of earth ethics Jātaka Deer had intended to convey, it remains an aesthetic ruin in the twenty-first century. With the help of holographic virtual-reality and augmented-reality technology, the latest form is a 3D replica with worldwide currency. Such a rendering reeks of our human species’ self-congratulatory sense of optimism and triumphalism about its civilization despite the coming mass extinction. Article received: April 23, 2021; Article accepted: June 21, 2021; Published online: September 15, 2021. Original scholarly paper

Intersections of Science and Society

An impressive volume, Company Curiosities describes the history of the East India Company with a specific focus on the contributions of company naturalists, illustrators, and collectors. A monopolistic British corporation that controlled trade between England and India–Southeast Asia, active between 1600 and 1874, the East India Company “contributed voluminously and systematically to the sum of the riches reaching British collections.” Particularly during the first quarter of Queen Victoria’s reign, there was an obvious and natural connection between the company’s collections, Victorian acquisition, cabinets of curiosity, and the rise of natural history museums. Not only did the company provide thousands of collected objects for exhibitions and private individuals, but its imported concepts and designs influenced many types of British manufacture and architecture.A particularly interesting aspect of this history is that it predates the development of naturalists as specialists: many of the company’s collectors, botanists, and illustrators also held positions as surgeons, judges, and surveyors employed by the company. Generously illustrated, Company Curiosities chronicles European “discovery” of numerous species of mammals, plants, and birds, as well cave paintings, fossils, and human artifacts. Numerous illustrations are provided, including portraits of significant company figures, specimen drawings, architectural details, and artifacts. Of particular note are the beautiful biological illustrations drawn by both local and company artists, which are exquisite in their detail of observation and execution. A highlight, and the book’s cover illustration, is Tipu’s Tiger, a bizarre wooden structure depicting a life-sized tiger mauling a prone man, which had a mechanical crank that could, when turned, alternately produce roars, groans, and oddly celebratory melodies.Detailed and meticulous, Company Curiosities will appeal to any reader interested in the history of Western exploration, natural history, and the troubled relation between Europeans and the peoples of colonized nations. The extent and detail of this book require a dedicated reader with particular interest in India, Victorian Britain, and colonization – the general reader will likely wish for shorter descriptions. In particular, specifics from the “Company Collects” chapter will interest students of the history of science. The many illustrations add significantly to the narrative. This history is very much told from a European point of view and is chilling in recounting the millions of artworks, artifacts, and specimens removed to Britain. The moral aspects of removing these animals and artifacts from their native India are far from self-evident in the text – a significant omission in these days of increased reckoning with the consequences of colonial power. India’s reaction to this pillage can easily be seen in the famous Tipu’s Tiger. As the Royal Tiger devours him, the European, wearing the red jacket of an East India Company official, lifts his hand to express his “helpless and deplorable condition.” It is easy to see the not-so-subtle representation of the Sultan Tipu’s desire to put an end to British domination.

Vermiculations in painted caves: New inputs from laboratory experiments and field observations

Vermiculations are aggregates of small particles commonly found on cave walls. They are a major concern for the conservation of painted caves, as they can potentially alter valuable prehistoric cave paintings. A previous rheological study of fine sediment deposits on cave walls revealed that this material can undergo a solid-to-liquid transition triggered by variations in the chemical composition of the water film on the wall. Such a transition could occur at the origin of vermiculations by allowing the sediment to flow under low mechanical stress. In this work, we provide quantitative information on the conditions leading to this transition and show the importance of the chemical composition of the water film on the cave walls. A complete understanding of the phenomenon will, however, require more field information. This includes monitoring of the evolution of vermiculations, for which we have developed a dedicated observation protocol. Based on the combination of photogrammetry and a geographic information system we were able to precisely map the walls of the Hall of Bulls in Lascaux cave from past and future photographs. To better understand the vermiculation process, pictures need to be taken regularly, and the chemical composition of the thin water film covering cave walls needs to be analyzed with a similar time step. The correlation between the evolution of vermiculations, the humidification phases of the walls, temperature changes and the chemical monitoring of the water film should shed new light on conditions triggering vermiculations.

Upper Palaeolithic art as a perceptual search for magical images

ABSTRACT Perceptual psychology has provided a number of revealing insights into the phenomenon of palaeoart. The value of the discipline is underlined by the fact that it has provided new ways of exploring how Upper Palaeolithic cave art first arose, both on a theoretical and a practical level. Despite this, the approach has been accused of overstating the importance of perceptual factors to the detriment of cultural criteria. In this paper, I demonstrate how perceptual psychology can be exploited to provide useful hypotheses regarding the cultural issues associated with early parietal art.

The symbolic role of the underground world among Middle Paleolithic Neanderthals.

Cueva de Ardales in Málaga, Spain, is one of the richest and best-preserved Paleolithic painted caves of southwestern Europe, containing over a thousand graphic representations. Here, we study the red pigment in panel II.A.3 of "Sala de las Estrellas," dated by U-Th to the Middle Paleolithic, to determine its composition, verify its anthropogenic nature, infer the associated behaviors, and discuss their implications. Using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction, we analyzed a set of samples from the panel and compared them to natural coloring materials collected from the floor and walls of the cave. The conspicuously different texture and composition of the geological samples indicates that the pigments used in the paintings do not come from the outcrops of colorant material known in the cave. We confirm that the paintings are not the result of natural processes and show that the composition of the paint is consistent with the artistic activity being recurrent. Our results strengthen the hypothesis that Neanderthals symbolically used these paintings and the large stalagmitic dome harboring them over an extended time span.

VISITING PALAEOLITHIC ART – EXPLORATIONS AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS IN CUEVA DE LAS MONEDAS, SPAIN

SummaryNumerical chronology is one of the main sources of information by which one may contextualize prehistoric human activity more precisely. It is able to discriminate between different times of visits to caves and determine the period with which each form of evidence should be associated and the relationships between them. The application of conventional 14C and 14C‐AMS has dated visits to the Palaeolithic cave art site of Las Monedas during historical times. The results underscore the caution that is needed when dating a cave art ensemble based on an undated archaeological context or attributing all the graphic activity to a single time.

A contribution to the debate about prehistoric rock art in southern Europe: New Palaeolithic motifs in Cueva de las Palomas IV, Facinas (Tarifa, Cádiz, Spain)

The site of Palomas, Facinas (Tarifa, Cádiz, Spain), was investigated by Breuil and Burkitt in the early 20th century and published in 1929. They identified four assemblages of wall paintings, including Palaeolithic representations in Palomas I. Recently, our team discovered previously unknown Palaeolithic paintings (including hand stencils and other motifs) in Palomas IV. This article presents our preliminary results, including a description and documentation of the main motifs identified. The site is located near the Strait of Gibraltar, which is a region of great archaeological importance for the study of prehistory in the Iberian Peninsula.

The cave art conundrum

Fresh discoveries are forcing a rethink on everything we thought we knew about Stone Age art, not least what it means and where else it might be hiding, finds Alison George

A Brief History of Colour, the Environmental Impact of Synthetic Dyes and Removal by Using Laccases.

The history of colour is fascinating from a social and artistic viewpoint because it shows the way; use; and importance acquired. The use of colours date back to the Stone Age (the first news of cave paintings); colour has contributed to the social and symbolic development of civilizations. Colour has been associated with hierarchy; power and leadership in some of them. The advent of synthetic dyes has revolutionized the colour industry; and due to their low cost; their use has spread to different industrial sectors. Although the percentage of coloured wastewater discharged by the textile; food; pharmaceutical; cosmetic; and paper industries; among other productive areas; are unknown; the toxic effect and ecological implications of this discharged into water bodies are harmful. This review briefly shows the social and artistic history surrounding the discovery and use of natural and synthetic dyes. We summarise the environmental impact caused by the discharge of untreated or poorly treated coloured wastewater to water bodies; which has led to physical; chemical and biological treatments to reduce the colour units so as important physicochemical parameters. We also focus on laccase utility (EC 1.10.3.2), for discolouration enzymatic treatment of coloured wastewater, before its discharge into water bodies. Laccases (p-diphenol: oxidoreductase dioxide) are multicopper oxidoreductase enzymes widely distributed in plants, insects, bacteria, and fungi. Fungal laccases have employed for wastewater colour removal due to their high redox potential. This review includes an analysis of the stability of laccases, the factors that influence production at high scales to achieve discolouration of high volumes of contaminated wastewater, the biotechnological impact of laccases, and the degradation routes that some dyes may follow when using the laccase for colour removal

Relief and the Structure of Intentions in Late Palaeolithic Cave Art

AbstractArtworks at Lascaux and other late Palaeolithic caves integrate geological features or “relief” of the cave wall in a way that suggests a symbiotic relation between nature and culture. I argue this qualifies as “receptivity to a situation,” which is neither fully active nor merely passive and emerges as a necessary element of the intentions made apparent by such cave art. I argue against prominent interpretations of cave art, including the shamanist account and propose a structural interpretation attentive to particular cases. Seen in this way, cave art displays intentions that are analyzable as having a tripartite structure: mentally directed, embedded in actions and receptive to a situation. Moreover, the latter is the medium through which the other two elements are conjoined. Drawing on a range of archaeological and philosophical resources from both analytical philosophy and phenomenology, I argue that what I call cave art’s “intentional story” is important for the philosophy of intentions more generally.

The Use of 3D Photogrammetry in the Analysis, Visualization, and Dissemination of the Indigenous Archaeological Heritage of the Greater Antilles

Abstract The development of digital technologies and the use of advanced photogrammetry programs for modeling archaeological excavations and sites have opened new possibilities for spatial analysis in archaeology and the reconstruction of archaeological contexts. In addition, these tools allow us to visually preserve the features of archaeological sites for future use and facilitate the dissemination of archaeological heritage to local communities and the general public. This paper summarizes 3D photographic visualization of three cave art sites (Los Cayucos and Cueva No. 1 in Punta del Este, Cuba, and José María Cave in the Dominican Republic) and two burial spaces (Canímar Abajo and Playa del Mango, Cuba) using photogrammetry software. The application of these novel methods at the cave art sites allowed us to visualize faint pictographs that were invisible to the naked eye, to better define the shapes of petroglyphs and to reconstruct the position of lost/removed panels. At the burial sites, 3D modeling allowed us to register the archaeological context with greater precision. The use of 3D modeling will improve spatial analysis and data safeguarding in Cuban archaeology. Moreover, 3D movies are an effective way to disseminate knowledge and connect local communities with their cultural heritage, while reducing the impact of public visits to remote or endangered sites.

Symbolic Systems and Cultural Continuity in Northwest Australia: A Consideration of Aboriginal Cave Art

Archaeological research in Australia suggests that Aboriginal foragers have successfully occupied the continent for many thousands of years. Furthermore, it appears that the trans-generational continuity of their cultural systems has been achieved in the face of a great deal of flux in the daily lives of individuals. This paper argues that Aboriginal cave art constitutes a set of symbols which have facilitated cultural continuity in the face of empirical variability.

A study of landscape painting development – Past, present and future perspectives

This study is focused on landscape paintings’ characteristics throughout history. It starts with primitive cave paintings passed through the ancient civilisations, then followed by the main art movements and styles and ends with the contemporary style landscape paintings. Future prospects and expectations for landscape representations were also considered. It was found that landscape representation has been the focus for most artists because of its link to their normal lives. In the primitive caves, illustrations of plants and animals were found covering caves’ walls. Landscape backgrounds were used in the ancient Egyptian civilisation and lost its significance in the Greece style to reappear with the Roman artists with special concern and perspective. The Renaissance era witnessed more progress in landscape paintings’ subjects and perspective. Baroque paintings initiated the focus on independent landscape paintings to be crystalised in the Romantic paintings and later on in the impressionists’ art works using distinctive painting techniques. The modernists approved landscape topic in their paintings to apply their unique techniques, whereas the contemporary landscape paintings have adopted abstract and free methods in employing various materials and colours. It is obvious that the landscape subject has been employed throughout all stages of art history because it is the key segment of their environment and life not only because of its aesthetic values. Realistic landscape representation in visual art and design is expected to progress in abundance in the near and far future as many people due to the pandemic circumstances have been deprived from naturally experiencing landscapes causing mental and health difficulties. Keywords: Prehistoric period, ancient civilisations, Renaissance, Baroque, romantic.

Ancient Chinese cave paintings as cinema: the volcanos and dragons of Mogao Cave 249

Ancient Chinese cave paintings as cinema: the volcanos and dragons of Mogao Cave 249

Fame and recognition in historic and contemporary graffiti: examples from New York City (US), Richmond Castle and Bristol (UK)

ABSTRACT Artists have been making their mark on the world for at least 70,000 years. Some of the best known examples of what is commonly referred to as cave art are from the Upper Palaeolithic in Europe, at sites which are popular tourist attractions, their visitors wondering at the motivations of those responsible. In some ways, contemporary graffiti are not so dissimilar: passers-by stopping to view art without ever seeing the artists at work, puzzled at their intentions. As in the caves, these more recent works have a sense of the mysterious, while bringing light and dynamism to otherwise mundane and unspectacular spaces, giving these spaces new meaning and adding value. In this paper, we focus on ways that archaeological interpretation contributes to understanding the cultural significance of the interstitial places where these historic and contemporary artworks are often found and also, therefore, the marginalised people who typically inhabit them.

Una propuesta cronológica para la Cueva de El Castillo (Puente Viesgo, Cantabria), basada en su estratigrafía iconográfica

Some years ago, we began a review of the work done by E. Ripoll in 1953. During this time, we have examined not only each and every one of the figures discovered by him, but have also expanded the list, reaching nearly all the 450 new figures in the entire cave. This significant increase is thanks to the use of new technologies, such as a 3D scanner, digital filters, multispectral algorithms, giga images, or the newest innovation, the use, for the first time in our studies on cave art, of hyperspectral methodology. The latter gives us access to a much wider light spectrum than the one created by multispectral analysis.

THE MOTHER ARCHETYPE and HANDS ON HIPS MOTIF

Symbols have become the most important tool for the human being’s self-expression from the first cave paintings to architecture. Each symbol has formed with values such as a message, thought and wish. In the memory of almost in every culture, the definition of weaving has been done over concepts such as eternity, immortality and plentifulness, however there is scarcely any data about their starting point. Archetype concept can be used to fill in these data blanks. Archetypes, propounded by the Swiss Psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung, modelling the human character and collective unconscious relations, have been efficient in bringing the mythological elements to come in sight. Concepts such as great mother and mother goddess, showing similarity in many geographies, is the biggest example of the mythologies shaped with collective unconscious. Many motifs in weaving involve mythological elements. Therefore, the relation between motif and archetype will provide benefits for defining the output sources of symbols. One of the most important archetypes developed by Jung is the “Mother” archetype. The motif which corresponds to mother archetype is the Hands on Hips in Anatolian weavings. Literature survey has been conducted in this study, emphasizing the relation between one of the symbolic building blocks of Turkish weaving arts; Hands on Hips motif and the mother archetype and as a result of the study, it is surmised that mother archetype has been a precipitating element in motherhood concept in reflecting to the motifs. Key Words: Hands on Hips Motif, Mother Archetype, Weaving, Carl Gustav Jung.