DOCSLIB.ORG

La Investigacion Del Paleolitico Superior En España

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
La Investigacion Del Paleolitico Superior En España LA INVESTIGACION DEL PALEOLITICO SUPERIOR EN ESPAÑA por LUIS PERrCOT En cierta manera, el Paleolítico constituye el meolio de la Prehistoria. Su estudio debe tender por una parte a· los más remotos orígenes, tan nebulosos como apasionantes, y por otra a la etapa final de la época glaciar, en que la vida del hombre y su cultura se va definiendo ya con rasgos que han de tener validez para los tiempos siguientes. Nace, pues, con el hombre, y termina cuando éste se halla ya en la senda que a la vuelta de la esquina, por así decirlo, le llevará a la vida plenamente histórica, en la que todavía nos encontramos, acaso también a punto de doblar otra esquina. La dificultad para investigar esa época se basa no sólo en lo frágil de cual­ quier método que empleemos en la interpretación de los datos que el suelo nos ofrece, sino, y muy principalmente, en la escasez de los mismos. Todo ello se acrece en España por diversas razones que es fácil apreciar. En primer lugar, el estudio del Paleolítico no puede hacerse sin conocimien­ tos geológicos que los prehistoriadores, en su mayoría salidos del campo de las ciencias históricas, no suelen poseer y de ello tienen plena conciencia. Por su parte, los naturalistas interesados en nuestra ciencia carecen a veces del sentido histórico que les permita comprender debidamente los vestigios que la investi­ gación pone en su mano. O bien su interés por la Prehistoria es sólo circuns­ tancial y regresan fácilmente a lo que es para ellos meta principal de sus estudios. No siempre surge una asociación fecunda y seguida de historiadores y geólogos, trabajando en equipo. Esta limitación de la ciencia española se ha hecho con frecuencia patente en los últimos· años, precisamente a consecuencia de la parte cada día mayor que las ciencias naturales y las físico-químicas toman en la investigación de aque­ lla remota época. Ya no es únicamente la clasificación de la fauna, o el estudio de unos huesos humanos, o de la estratigrafía en relación con las sucesivas fases glaciares. Ahora se trata ya de obtener una curva climática completa con el aná­ lisis de los suelos y con el estudio palinológico, e incluso de obtener una fecha para diversos elementos del yacimiento por medio del análisis radioactiva o mé­ todo del carbono 14. Hoyes imprescindible el trabajo de un amplio equipo que rodee y apoye al arqueólogo, quien ha de interpretar en sentido histórico los datos que la exca­ vación le ofrece. Dentro del Paleolítico, centramos por diversas razones nuestro estudio en el Paleolítico Superior, al que seguimos considerando como el momento crucial en la Historia de la Humanidad y de su cultura. Por desgracia, el número de estaciones que nos documenten en España esta etapa cultural es reducido, y si a ello unimos el mal aprovechamiento e incluso destrucción de bastantes de ellas, será fácil comprender la· relativa pobreza que el estudio de esta época muestra, aunque al profano pueda parecerle otra cosa. Sin duda, aunque la totalidad del territorio hispánico estuvo ocupado enton­ ces, la distribución de la población era muy irreglllar. Algunas zonas ofrecían, XII LA INVESTIGACIÓN DEL PALEOLÍTICO SUPERIOR EN ESPAÑA con sus cuevas, abundantes y excelentes refugios contra el frío y las fieras, a la par que magníficos cazaderos, mientras otras, que habían sido sede de habi­ tación favorable en etapas cálidas, se veían en la época glaciar poco menos que abandonadas. Esta distribución irregular se corresponde en buena parte con la densidad de yacimientos conocidos y en estudio. Podemos contar con una población que ocupó España durante unos 30000 años y que en su momento óptimo y avanzado pudo alcanzar la cifra de unos 100000 habitantes. Se podría calcular que alrededor de cincuenta millones de hombres de la raza de Cromagnon vivieron y dejaron sus cuerpos y sus útiles en el suelo español. En cuanto a sus útiles, que, al revés de lo que ocurre con los restos óseos, sabemos que están todavía en el suelo esperando al arqueólogo que ha de descubrirlos, las cifras que alcanzaríamos serían sorprendentes. El cálculo del profesor Jordá en 1960 sobre los niveles que se conocen en la zona cantábrica, da el resultado de unos 102 niveles característicos de in­ dustrias bien individualizadas; casi la mitad magdalenienses. Las razones en que fundamos la afirmación de que el Paleolítico Superior cons.ituye un momento clave de la Historia Humana y en todo caso es uno de los más interesantes en la Prehistoria, son los siguientes: En primer lugar, es totalmente Prehistoria. La Humanidad moderna no ha aparecido aún. Y sin embargo una serie de hechos lo sitúan en la aurora de la misma: presencia de razas humanas de tipo moderno con arrinco­ namiento y extinción de las que dieron los lentísimos primeros pasos hacia la civilización. Invención del arte, escultura, dibujo, y con ello espiritualidad liga­ da a la del hombre moderno. Numerosos inventos de aplicación varia: por ejem­ plo, aguja de coser, anzuelo y arpón, propulsor, arco, aprovechamiento del hue­ so y asta, etc., que indican un ingenio decididamente progresivo. Corona la larga y pura Prehistoria y prepara, a través de su fase de decadencia, el Epi­ paleolítico, la revolución definitiva, camino de la civilización moderna, el Neolítico. Estamos aún cerca de su final (unas 400 generaciones nos separan del mismo) y muchas supersticiones e inventos básicos derivan de él. En al­ gunas comarcas (Canarias por ejemplo) su tipo físico se ha conservado. La península Ibérica ha desempeñado un gran papel en toda esta serie de creaciones culturales. Aun apareciendo como una prolongación de las ricas cul­ turas que tienen su centro en la Aquitania y otras regiones francesas, su perso­ nalidad es clara: falta de escultura, aparición de formas de utillaje propias (sobre todo en el Solutrense), predominio de las formas gravetienses y del Epigravetiense que sustituye en la mayor parte de la Península '11 Magdale­ niense, posible variante «mediterránea" en el utillaje y arte, como una provin­ cia aparte dentro del Paleolítico superior europeo. Naturalmente, este papel resulta muy acrecido si aceptamos que el hombre del Paleolítico pudo cruzar, por lo menos en circunstancias favorables, el corto trecho de mar que separa las respectivas costas de Europa y Africa entre Gi­ braltar y Ceuta. Entonces, los contactos a través de este puente pudieron pro­ ducir fenómenos históricos y culturales que aún no podemos medir con precisión. En nuestra ojeada consideramos tres etapas, desiguales en duración, que se han sucedido a lo largo de un siglo aproximadamente. La primera va desde los primeros estudios hasta 1914, fecha de aparición de los primeros trabajos de la Comisión de Investigaciones Paleontológicas y Prehistóricas de Madrid. La segunda, desde este momento hasta 1936, tras la excavación de la Cueva del Parpalló y' cuando empezaban a divulgarse sus re­ sultados. Desde 1940 se desarrolla una tercera etapa de gran expansión cientí· fica que se puede hacer llegar hasta estos últimos años, en los que se va pre­ cisando un panorama de próximo futuro, de mucha mayor intensidad y que podrá constituir una nueva etapa. El panorama de estos últimos años es sin duda relativamente confortador. En todo el mundo el estudio del Paleolítico Superior ha realizado grandes progresos. Grandes descubrimientos en Africa, Asia occidental y oriental van acompañados de la revelación de un importante Paleolítico Superior en América, retrotrayendo la fecha del poblamiento del Nuevo Mundo. Métodos sensacionales de medición cronológica nos han dado lo que pa­ recía imposible, una cronología bastante precisa para esta etapa. Estudios pali- LA INVESTIGACIÓN DEL PALEOLÍTICO SUPERIOR EN ESPAÑA XIII nológicos y climatológicos en general proporcionan la visión del ambiente, de forma tan certera, o más aún, a cómo podemos obtenerlo para épocas históricas mucho más cercanas a nosotros. Hace poco se han logrado fechas con el método del Torio-Uranio para líneas costeras de Alicante y Mallorca que se refieren al Paleolítico Medio. Cierto es que sólo empezamos en España a aplicar por nuestra cuenta tales métodos y que el número de fechas de C.14 para nuestros yacimientos es redu­ cidísimo; pero todo ello está mejorando y cabe pensar que en adelante nuestros especialistas no habrán de pasar ante sus colegas extranjeros por el complejo de inferioridad que la pobreza de métodos modernos y de recursos de toda clase puede producir. Acaso por este panorama desfavorable y que tiene una serie de causas en las que no nos vamos a detener ahora, ha habido en los últimos años varios intentos por parte de investigadores extranjeros de estudiar los períodos de Iluestro Paleolítico Superior, excavando nuestros yacimientos. Otros han clasifi­ cado el material de nuestros museos. Esto, por lo menos, es un toque de aten­ ción a nuestros especialistas para que no se duerman en el fácil monopolio que hasta ahora han podido más o menos mantener. PRIMERA ETAPA. HASTA 1914 Hasta hace cosa de un siglo no puede decirse que preocupe en España el estudio de las etapas paleolíticas. Admira hoy leer el artículo de divulgación, muy acertado por cierto, que Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer escribió o la teoría .,......excelente para su época- del manual de Prehistoria de Sales y Ferrer. 1 Tam­ poco podía faltar la legión de quienes temían los excesos heterodoxos en que algunos aficionados a la nueva ciencia cayeron. Basta contemplar las dos posi­ ciones que Menéndez Pelayo mostró frente a la Prehistoria a lo largo de su vida para comprender las tensiones a que aquélla dio lugar. 2 Pero puede decirse que los hallazgos paleolíticos empezaron en España des­ de 1848, en que Casiano de Prado y otros geólogos extrajeron el resto de un Elephas antiquus del Tejar de las Animas, en San Isidro (Madrid), mientras en una cantera de Gibraltar aparecía un cráneo que pertenecía a la raza de Neandertal (bautizada sólo en 1856 por el hallazgo de una bóveda craneal hu- mana en el valle del Neander, en Alemania).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Prehistoric Art: Their Contribution for Understanding on Prehistoric Society
    Prehistoric Art: Their Contribution for Understanding on Prehistoric Society Sofwan Noerwidi Balai Arkeologi Yogyakarta The pictures indicated as an art began their human invasion of the symbolic world, just started around 100.000 BP and more intensively since 30.000 years. The meaning of the relations between the men and with their world is produced by organization of representations in graphic systems by images, expression and communication in the same time. Since the first appearance of genus Homo, the development of cerebral and social evolution probably causes the ability to symbolize. Human uses the image to the modernity which is gives a symbolic way to the meaning for the beings and to the things (Vialou, 2009). This paper is a short report about development of contribution on study of symbolic behavior for interpreting of prehistoric society, from beginning period until recent times by several scholars. When late nineteenth and early twentieth century scientists have accept that Upper Paleolithic art is being genuinely of great antiquity. At that times, paleolithic art was interpreted merely as “art for art’s sake”. The first systematic study of Ice Age art was undertaken by Abbé Henri Breuil, a great French archeologist. He carefully copied images from a lot of sites and reconstructs a development chronology based on artistic style during the first half of the twentieth century. He believed that the art would grow more complicated through time (Lewin, et.al., 2004). After the beginning study by Breuil, as a summary they are several contributions on study of symbolic behavior for interpreting of prehistoric society, such as for reconstruction of prehistoric religion, social structure of their society, information exchange system between them, and also as indication of cultural and historical change in prehistoric times.
    [Show full text]
  • Art and Symbolism: the Case Of
    ON THE EMERGENCE OF ART AND SYMBOLISM: THE CASE OF NEANDERTAL ‘ART’ IN NORTHERN SPAIN by Amy Chase B.A. University of Victoria, 2011 A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Archaeology Memorial University of Newfoundland May 2017 St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador ABSTRACT The idea that Neandertals possessed symbolic and artistic capabilities is highly controversial, as until recently, art creation was thought to have been exclusive to Anatomically Modern Humans. An intense academic debate surrounding Neandertal behavioural and cognitive capacities is fuelled by methodological advancements, archaeological reappraisals, and theoretical shifts. Recent re-dating of prehistoric rock art in Spain, to a time when Neandertals could have been the creators, has further fuelled this debate. This thesis aims to address the underlying causes responsible for this debate and investigate the archaeological signifiers of art and symbolism. I then examine the archaeological record of El Castillo, which contains some of the oldest known cave paintings in Europe, with the objective of establishing possible evidence for symbolic and artistic behaviour in Neandertals. The case of El Castillo is an illustrative example of some of the ideas and concepts that are currently involved in the interpretation of Neandertals’ archaeological record. As the dating of the site layer at El Castillo is problematic, and not all materials were analyzed during this study, the results of this research are rather inconclusive, although some evidence of probable symbolic behaviour in Neandertals at El Castillo is identified and discussed.
    [Show full text]
  • Denisovan News: Keeping These Remarkable Yet Enigmatic People up Front by Tom Baldwin
    BUSINESSBUSINESS NAMENAME BUSINESSBUSINESS NAMENAME Pleistocene coalition news VOLUME 11, ISSUE 6 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2019 Inside -- ChallengingChallenging thethe tenetstenets ofof mainstreammainstream scientificscientific aagg e e n n d d a a s s -- We at PCN want to thank everyone for making our 10th Anniversary Issue (Issue #61, P A G E 2 September-October 2019) such a success and we thank everyone for writing us. Denisovan news: As most now realize, founding member and central figure of the Pleistocene Coaltiion, Dr. Vir- Keeping these re- markable though ginia Steen-McIntyre’s, recent stroke and other illnesses have become a concern for all those enigmatic people who know her and work Readers were taken by surprise with Tim Holmes’ up front with her as well as for our ‘Paleolithic human dispersals via natural floating readers. The loss of her Tom Baldwin platforms, Part 1 ’ last issue. crucial roles as writer, In contrast to presumed ocean P A G E 4 travel via sailing or paddling scientific advisor, core 10 years ago in PCN manmade watercraft Holmes PCN editor, writer organ- From comparing aerial Dr. Virginia Steen- suggested a third way has izer, etc., while she recov- views of the Middle East with South McIntyre’s first been downplayed in anthro- ers has also added to our A natural pumice raft African cir- In Their Own Words pology and readers re- other editors’ responsibili- cles over column sponded, asking, “Why is this idea not better ties and difficulty in keep- known?” Holmes is still working to finish Part 2. 6,000 miles Virginia Steen-McIntyre ing up.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cradle of Humanity: Prehistoric Art and Culture/ by Georges Bataille : Edited and Introduced by Stum Kendall ; Translated by Michelle Kendall and Stum Kendall
    The Cradle of Humanity Prehistoric Art and Culture Georges Bataille Edited and Introduced by Stuart Kendall Translated by Michelle Kendall and Stuart Kendall ZONE BOOKS · NEW YORK 2005 � 2005 UrzoneInc ZONE B001[S 1226 Prospect Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11218 All rights reserved. No pm of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfihning,recording, or otherwise (except for that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright uw and except by reviewers for the public press) without written permission from the Publisher. Printed in the United States of America. Georges Bataille's writings are O Editions Gallimard, Paris. Distributed by The MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London, England Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bataille, Georges, 1897-1962 The cradle of humanity: prehistoric art and culture/ by Georges Bataille : edited and introduced by Stum Kendall ; translated by Michelle Kendall and Stum Kendall. P· cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 1-890951-55-2 l. Art, prehistoric and science. I. Kendall, Stuart. II. Title. N5310.B382 2004 709'.01 -dc21 Original from Digitized by UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Google Contents Editor's Introduction: The Sediment ofthe Possible 9 A Note on the Translation 33 Primitive Art 35 I The Frobenius Exhibit at the Salle Pleyel 45 II A Visit to Lascaux: A Lecture at the Sociiti d'A9riculture, Sciences, Belles-Lettres III et Arts d'Orlians 47 The Passa9efrom
    [Show full text]
  • Bataille on Lascaux and the Origins of Art
    Bataille on Lascaux and the Origins of Art Richard White Creighton University Bataille’s book Lacaux has not received much scholarly attention. This essay attempts to fill in a gap in the literature by explicating Bataille’s scholarship on Lascaux to his body of writing as a whole—an exercise that, arguably, demonstrates the significance of the book and, consequently, the shortsightedness of its neglect by critics who have not traditionally grasped the relevance of the text for illuminating Bataille’s theory of art and transgression. Bataille’s major work on the Lascaux cave paintings, Prehistoric Paint- ing: Lascaux or the Birth of Art, was originally published as the first volume in a series called “The Great Centuries of Painting.”1 It is an impressive book with color photographs and supporting documents, and in his text, Bataille deals conscientiously with the existing state of prehistoric studies and scholarly accounts of Lascaux. But in spite of this—or rather because of it—Lascaux the book has received very little attention from prehistoric scholars, art historians or even Bataille enthusiasts.2 For one thing, the format of this work seems to undermine the power of transgression which is the subject as well as the driving force behind most of Bataille’s writings. The very context of a multi-volume series on great art and artists suggests an uncritical perception of art as a universal which remains the same from Lascaux to Manet.3 In Lascaux, as opposed to most of his other writings, Bataille offers his own contribution to an existing historical controversy, and he is constrained in advance by the terms of this debate.
    [Show full text]
  • Prehistoric Art
    PREHISTORIC ART THE BEGINNING Not until 25,000 years ago did out forebears invent art • The first art objects were created not to adorn the body or decorate the cavern--- But attempt to control or appease natural forces CAVE PAINTING • FIRST PAINTINGS WERE MADE ABOUT 15,000 YEARS • BEFORE THE DISCOVERY IN 1996 THE IMAGES AT LASCAUX, FRANCE WERE THE OLDEST KNOWN PAINTINGS IN EUROPE • PAINTINGS MOST REMOTE RECESSES OF THE CAVE—WHERE THERE WAS NO SUNLIGHT WHY DID THEY PAINT THESE IMAGES? • Maybe : • certain animals are symbolic • others represent mythical spirits • to contact spirits in another world • to track migration patterns • related to ritual occasions HORSE CAVE PAINTING 13,000 B.C. SCULPTURE OLDEST SURVIVING ART OBJECTS ARE SCULPTURES VENUS OF WILLENDORF • 25,000- 20,000 BC • ONE OT THE EARLIEST KNOWN HUMAN FIGURES • VENUS GODDNESS OF LOVE • FERTILITY IMAGE • CARRIED AROUND AS AN AMULET—GOOD LUCK CHARM • ONLY FEATURES SHOWING BELLY, BREASTS AND PUBIC AREA • ONLY 5 INCHES TALL • Paleolithic Period:::OLD STONE AGE • After 4000 years gave way to: • NEOLITHIC OR NEW STONE AGE • New stone tools---learned to farm—domesticate animals (cattle—goats –etc.)help with labor, food, milk and leather • Technology of pottery • Settled communities ---architecture of stone and wood were starting to be built ARCHITECTURE STONE HENGE 2,000 B.C. Certain conditions foster preservation of Art • Durable materials ( stone-metal-fired clay) • Local of environment not destructive to artworks • Stable population- • Putting artworks in places of limited or no
    [Show full text]
  • ART-202H: Honors Art History Survey: Prehistoric to Renaissance 1
    ART-202H: Honors Art History Survey: Prehistoric to Renaissance 1 ART-202H: HONORS ART HISTORY SURVEY: PREHISTORIC TO RENAISSANCE Cuyahoga Community College Viewing: ART-202H : Honors Art History Survey: Prehistoric to Renaissance Board of Trustees: 2016-03-31 Academic Term: Fall 2019 Subject Code ART - Art Course Number: 202H Title: Honors Art History Survey: Prehistoric to Renaissance Catalog Description: Introduction to the major works of visual art in Western cultures from Prehistory to the early Renaissance including Paleolithic, Neolithic, Egyptian, Ancient Near Eastern, Greek, Etruscan, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, Early Medieval, Romanesque, Gothic, and fourteenth-century and early fifteenth-century art in Northern Europe, Spain, and Italy. Critical examination of style and art historical analysis of objects from early Western cultures and civilizations. Credit Hour(s): 3 Lecture Hour(s): 3 Requisites Prerequisite and Corequisite ENG-1010 College Composition I or concurrent enrollment; or ENG-101H Honors college Composition I or concurrent enrollment. Outcomes Course Outcome(s): Identify ways in which art history reflects cultures, economies, geographies, and the movements of people and ideas. Objective(s): 1. Evaluate how and why early Western cultures created art within a social, religious, political, and economic context. 2. Analyze ideas communicated by individual works of western art in terms of their cultural, historical, social, and religious contexts. Course Outcome(s): Distinguish various elements of style, describe changes in style, and recognize the movement of style from the Prehistoric to early Renaissance periods in Western Europe. Objective(s): 1. Identify specific characteristics of western art and architecture from prehistoric times up to the early Renaissance period in Europe.
    [Show full text]
  • “Politics” and “Religion” in the Upper Paleolithic: a Voegelinian Analysis of Some Selected Problems
    “Politics” and “Religion” in the Upper Paleolithic: A Voegelinian Analysis of Some Selected Problems DRAFT ONLY Barry Cooper University of Calgary Paper prepared for APSA Annual Meeting Seattle WA September, 201 2 Outline 1. Introduction 2. Philosophy of consciousness 3. “Politics” 4. “Religion 5. Conclusions 3 “Politics” and “Religion” in the Upper Paleolithic 1. Introduction The Voegelinian analysis referred to in the title refers primarily to two elements of the political science of Eric Voegelin. The first is his philosophy of consciousness, systematically developed first in Anamnesis.1 The second is his concept of compactness and differentiation of experience and symbolization. It will be necessary to touch upon a few other Voegelinian concepts, notably his understanding of “equivalence,” but for reasons of space only a summary presentation is possible. A second preliminary remark: the terms “Religion” and “Politics” are in quotation marks because their usage in the context of the Upper Paleolithic is anachronistic, though not entirely misleading. The meaning of these terms is commonsensical, not technical, and is meant to indicate what Clifford Geertz once called “oblique family-resemblance connections” among phenomena.2 Third, as a matter of chronology the Upper Paleolithic conventionally refers to the period between 50,000 and 10,000 years ago (50KYBP- 1 Voegelin refined his analysis of consciousness in the last two volumes of Order and History. These changes are ignored on this occasion. 2 Geertz, Life Among the Anthros, ed. Fred Inglis (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010), 224. 4 10KYBP). It corresponds in Eurasian periodization approximately to the Later Stone Age in Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • Human Origin Sites and the World Heritage Convention in Eurasia
    World Heritage papers41 HEADWORLD HERITAGES 4 Human Origin Sites and the World Heritage Convention in Eurasia VOLUME I In support of UNESCO’s 70th Anniversary Celebrations United Nations [ Cultural Organization Human Origin Sites and the World Heritage Convention in Eurasia Nuria Sanz, Editor General Coordinator of HEADS Programme on Human Evolution HEADS 4 VOLUME I Published in 2015 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France and the UNESCO Office in Mexico, Presidente Masaryk 526, Polanco, Miguel Hidalgo, 11550 Ciudad de Mexico, D.F., Mexico. © UNESCO 2015 ISBN 978-92-3-100107-9 This publication is available in Open Access under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repository (http://www.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use-ccbysa-en). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. Cover Photos: Top: Hohle Fels excavation. © Harry Vetter bottom (from left to right): Petroglyphs from Sikachi-Alyan rock art site.
    [Show full text]
  • The Use of Ochre and Painting During the Upper Paleolithic of the Swabian Jura in the Context of the Development of Ochre Use in Africa and Europe
    Open Archaeology 2018; 4: 185–205 Original Study Sibylle Wolf*, Rimtautas Dapschauskas, Elizabeth Velliky, Harald Floss, Andrew W. Kandel, Nicholas J. Conard The Use of Ochre and Painting During the Upper Paleolithic of the Swabian Jura in the Context of the Development of Ochre Use in Africa and Europe https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2018-0012 Received June 8, 2017; accepted December 13, 2017 Abstract: While the earliest evidence for ochre use is very sparse, the habitual use of ochre by hominins appeared about 140,000 years ago and accompanied them ever since. Here, we present an overview of archaeological sites in southwestern Germany, which yielded remains of ochre. We focus on the artifacts belonging exclusively to anatomically modern humans who were the inhabitants of the cave sites in the Swabian Jura during the Upper Paleolithic. The painted limestones from the Magdalenian layers of Hohle Fels Cave are a particular focus. We present these artifacts in detail and argue that they represent the beginning of a tradition of painting in Central Europe. Keywords: ochre use, Middle Stone Age, Swabian Jura, Upper Paleolithic, Magdalenian painting 1 The Earliest Use of Ochre in the Homo Lineage Modern humans have three types of cone cells in the retina of the eye. These cells are a requirement for trichromatic vision and hence, a requirement for the perception of the color red. The capacity for trichromatic vision dates back about 35 million years, within our shared evolutionary lineage in the Catarrhini subdivision of the higher primates (Jacobs, 2013, 2015). Trichromatic vision may have evolved as a result of the benefits for recognizing ripe yellow, orange, and red fruits in front of a background of green foliage (Regan et al., Article note: This article is a part of Topical Issue on From Line to Colour: Social Context and Visual Communication of Prehistoric Art edited by Liliana Janik and Simon Kaner.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Art, Abstract Thincking and Social Relations in the Human Evolution
    Muzeul Olteniei Craiova. Oltenia. Studii şi comunicări. Ştiinţele Naturii. Tom. 32, No. 2/2016 ISSN 1454-6914 THE ROLE OF ART, ABSTRACT THINCKING AND SOCIAL RELATIONS IN THE HUMAN EVOLUTION CORNEANU Mihaela, CORNEANU C. Gabriel Abstract. Before the appearance of Homo sapiens sapiens, some pre-human genotypes that lived on the Earth, left material evidence concerning different events of their social, behavioural or artistic manifestations. One of the earliest proofs is the use of objects from the environment as primitive tools to extract bone marrow, action probably achieved by a population of Australanthropus olteniensis in Romania (Tetoiu, Bugiuleşti, Oltenia, about 2,000,000 BC). Current studies show that pre-human species originated in the African Rift Valley, which provided optimum benefits to its evolution and diversity. Proto-oceanic environmental quality and diet (rich source of polyunsaturated long fibres) ensured brain development and human evolution. Several pre-human species (Homo habilis, H. naledi, H. erectus, etc.) emerged and lived in this area prior to their migration to other continents. Fire making and use, both for cooking and protection against weather and wildlife, was the essential factor for human evolution. Benefiting from the cooked food, pre-human beings had access to richer food resources, which led to the increase of the skeleton, and, implicitly, of the skull and encephalus. This made possible the development of practical utilities, followed by abstract utilities, such as thinking and intelligence. Sexual dimorphism, the presence of the gene FOX-P2 and the development of language, social and tribal life led to the arrangement of the living spaces, family.
    [Show full text]
  • Non-Figurative Cave Art in Northern Spain
    THE CAVES OF CANTABRIA: NON-FIGURATIVE CAVE ART IN NORTHERN SPAIN by Dustin Riley A thesis submitted To the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfllment of the requirments for the degree of Master of Arts, Department of Archaeology Memorial University of Newfoundland January, 2017 St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador Abstract This project focuses on non-figurative cave art in Cantabrian (Spain) from the Upper Palaeolithic (ca. 40,000-10,000). With more than 30 decorated caves in the region, it is one of the world’s richest areas in Palaeolithic artwork. My project explores the social and cultural dimensions associated with non-figurative cave images. Non-figurative artwork accounts for any image that does not represent real world objects. My primary objectives are: (1) To produce the first detailed account of non-figurative cave art in Cantabria; (2) To examine the relationships between figurative and non-figurative images; and (3) To analyse the many cultural and symbolic meanings associated to non- figurative images. To do so, I construct a database documenting the various features of non-figurative imagery in Cantabria. The third objective will be accomplished by examining the cultural and social values of non-figurative art through the lens of cognitive archaeology. ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank and express my gratitude to the members of the Department of Archaeology at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador for giving me the opportunity to conduct research and achieve an advanced degree. In particular I would like to express my upmost appreciation to Dr. Oscar Moro Abadía, whose guidance, critiques, and continued support and confidence in me aided my development as a student and as a person.
    [Show full text]