The rock art or cave paintings refers to the drawings, paintings or engravings made during prehistory on rocks, especially inside caves. The hypotheses about the reason that led the inhabitants of the time to decorate the rocks in this way are varied and not incompatible with each other..
In this way, they are attributed a certain magical-religious importance, in order to attract hunting. Likewise, they also demonstrate the intention of their creators to communicate with other people and, finally, the inclination for the artistic representation of their daily life typical of human beings.
For a long time, it was claimed that the earliest manifestations of rock art dated back to around 40,000 years ago, dating many of those found in caves in France and Spain. However, recent investigations have delayed the date due to the discovery of paintings dating back more than 60,000 years ago, so their authors would have been near-dental..
These types of cultural manifestations have been found on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica. The best known are those found in Spain and France, such as Altamira or Lascaux.
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Since their appearance on the planet, human beings left evidence of their passage in caves and rocky walls. In these first examples of rock art they left embodied representations of objects, plants, animals, signs or scenes of their daily life.
Some modern research suggests that, in addition to other reasons, this painting was the antecedent of the oral language itself and, obviously, of writing.
The use of this type of art as a form of expression developed throughout the world and during various periods, including among the Neanderthals..
Knowing exactly the origin of cave paintings is a complicated task. On the one hand, the state of conservation of many rocks and caves does not help to accurately date their age and, on the other, new discoveries have been delaying the date of the first works.
Only technological advancement is allowing dating analysis to become increasingly accurate.
For a long time in Europe many prehistoric remains, most of them stone or bone utensils, had been found inside some caves. Some of them were adorned with carved representations of animals.
However, the discovery of the first large prehistoric pictorial group did not take place until 1879. That year, Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola, discovered in the Altamira cave, Santander (Spain) a group of bison drawn on one of its ceilings.
The discovery was presented to the scientists of the time in 1880. The first reaction was one of disbelief and, even, the authenticity of the paintings was denied, since it was thought that their realization was beyond the reach of the mental capacity of the inhabitants of prehistory.
New discoveries were needed in Spain and France for the existence of rock art to begin to be taken seriously.
For many decades, the origin of cave painting was considered to be around 40,000 years ago, during the last glacial period..
In Europe, the oldest representations, found in Spain, are almost 38,000 years old, which coincides with the time of arrival of the first Homo sapiens to the continent.
The study of paintings from other continents, however, has been delaying the date of their possible origin, to the point of attributing part of the works to Neanderthals.
The belief that placed the origin of rock art 40,000 years ago was overcome with the discovery and study of paintings from other caves.
In February 2018, an article published in Science stated that the paintings found in the La Pasiega cave (Spain) had been made by Neanderthals and not by the Homo sapiens. The dating delayed the origin of this type of art by almost 20,000 years, since they had been made more than 64,8000 years ago.
Other studies, carried out in other Spanish caves, such as Ardales (Málaga) or Maltravieso (Cáceres) confirmed these dates and their Neanderthal authorship..
On the other hand, researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand, in South Africa, found drawings on a stone that, according to the analyzes, were made about 73,000 years ago.
Rock art has been practiced in all periods of human history, as well as all continents, with the exception of Antarctica. France and Spain only the countries that have more examples of this type of art.
The paintings used to be done in the darkest areas of the caves. It is thought that its creators used small lamps made of stone and fed with marrow to illuminate themselves while they worked..
The theme of the cave painting is, more or less, homogeneous, although there are some differences between that originated in the Paleolithic and those of the Neolithic.
The former usually represent wild animals or are made up of lines. The latter, meanwhile, also show animals, but add more human beings, their environment, hands and scenes from everyday life. In this last period, in addition, they began to represent their gods.
The animals that appear in the paintings are usually horses, mammoths, deer, bison and reindeer. On some occasions, wounded by arrows or spears were depicted.
Rock art used to be monochrome (one color) or bicolor (two colors). The most common colors were black, red, yellow and ocher, with different shades.
The pigments used to obtain the colors were of plant origin, although they were also extracted from waste and body fluids or from minerals..
To apply the color, the artists of the time used their fingers directly, although sometimes they spat them on the rock or blew them with a thin hollowed reed. Over time, they began to use rudimentary brushes.
His pencils were made with burnt branches and balls of mineral dye bonded with resin. The unevenness and cracks in the walls served to give the drawing volume and realism.
Experts have divided rock art into three types: pictograms, petroglyphs, and land figures..
The former were captured on top of rocky surfaces, as can be seen in caves such as Altamira. The material for the paint was extracted from minerals and other natural components.
The petroglyphs, on the other hand, were the carvings that were made in the rocks. For this, they used smaller and harder rocks with which they hit the surface on which they wanted to carry out their work. On some occasions, a second stone was used for carving, as if it were a chisel.
Lastly, the earth figures were designs created on rocky surfaces. These drawings had, above all, religious motivations, although their theme could be of another type.
For a long time, it was considered that the most relevant paintings were those found in Europe, specifically in France and Spain. However, researchers have found other important examples of this type of art on all continents..
The Perigord region, located in the south of France, is known for the system of caves that run through its subsoil. In that area, south of the city of Montignac, is one of the most important examples of rock art in the world.
The Lascaux cave was discovered by four teenagers on September 12, 1940. Its large number of drawings and engravings, 1,963 figures in just 243 meters, led to it being considered a fraud at first..
Lascaux's paintings were made during the Magdalenian period and offer a complete sample of the animals that inhabited the area, from Przewalski's horses, now extinct, to aurochs, through bison, bulls and tarpans..
Located in the French valley of Pont d'Arc, the Chauvet cave was discovered in 1994. Its paintings were made about 36,000 years ago.
Hundreds of these paintings have been cataloged representing 13 species of animals. One of the most curious aspects is that some of these animals are predators, instead of the usual game pieces.
In this cave, in addition to the cave paintings, fossilized remains and footprints of humans and cave bears were also discovered..
One of the most valuable caves in the world is Altamira, located in the autonomous community of Cantabria (Spain). In it several of the most important pictorial groups of prehistory are preserved.
The paintings and engravings were made in different periods, mainly during the Magdalenian and Solutrean, although some belong to the Gravettian and early Aurignacian. Its age is about 35,600 years.
In the cave you can see polychromatic and monochromatic paintings, as well as engravings. Animals and abstract drawings were represented in it.
The rock art in these caves is one of the oldest made by mankind. The presence of paintings in this group of caves was known as early as five decades, but then its age was estimated at only 10,000 years. Only the most recent research has revealed his true age: between 35,000 and 40,000 years.
The cave paintings in the Altxerri cave, in the Basque Country, have been dated to the Upper Palaeolithic and the oldest are about 39,000 years old..
Inside you can see up to one hundred and twenty engravings. Of these, ninety-two represent animals, among which reindeer, horses, foxes, goats and bison stand out..
45 kilometers south of the Indian city of Bhopal are the country's rock paintings. Apart from their artistic value, these representations are considered the first left by human beings in the country..
Among the characteristics of these paintings is the superposition of various representations. From this it follows that they were made in different prehistoric times from the Upper Palaeolithic.
In addition to animals such as rhinos, elephants and bison, these paintings reflect various human activities, from births to funeral rites, through hunting and dancing scenes..
In the Argentine province of Santa Cruz, in the Pinturas river canyon, is the well-known cave of the hands.
In addition to their beauty, the cave paintings in this cave stand out for their antiquity. The oldest ones have been dated in 7350 a. C., which makes them one of the most remote of the South American towns.
The name of the cave comes from the paintings of hands, almost always the left, marked on the stone. Although it is not known for sure, it is believed that they could have been performed for ritual reasons.
In addition to those hands, images of animals, such as guanacos, and points and geometric figures also appear in the cave..
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