The first cave with drawings of primitive people. What and how did primitive man draw?
Prehistoric rock art is the most abundant evidence available of humanity's first steps in the fields of art, knowledge and culture. It is found in most countries of the world, from the tropics to the Arctic, and in a wide variety of places - from deep caves to mountain heights.
Several tens of millions of rock paintings have already been discovered and artistic motives, and every year more and more of them are discovered. This solid, enduring, cumulative monument of the past is clear evidence that our distant ancestors developed complex social systems.
Some common false claims about the origins of art had to be rejected at their very beginning. Art, as such, did not arise suddenly; it developed gradually with the enrichment of human experience. By the time the famous cave art appeared in France and Spain, it is believed that artistic traditions were already fairly developed, at least in South Africa, Lebanon, Eastern Europe, India and Australia, and no doubt in many other regions that have yet to be adequately explored.
When did people first decide to generalize reality? This is an interesting question for art historians and archaeologists, but it also has broad interest given that the idea of cultural primacy has an influence on the formation of ideas about racial, ethnic and national value, even on fantasy. For example, the claim that art originated in the caves of Western Europe encourages the creation of myths about European cultural superiority. Secondly, the origins of art should be considered closely related to the emergence of other purely human qualities: the ability to create abstract ideas and symbols, to communicate at a higher level, to develop an understanding of ourselves. Apart from prehistoric art, we have no real evidence from which to conclude the existence of such abilities.
BEGINNINGS OF ART
Artistic creativity was considered an example of “impractical” behavior, that is, behavior that seemed to have no practical purpose. The oldest clear archaeological evidence of this is the use of ocher or red iron ore (hematite), a red mineral dye removed and used by people several hundred thousand years ago. These ancient people also collected crystals and patterned fossils, colorful and unusual shape gravel. They began to distinguish between ordinary, everyday objects and unusual, exotic ones. Apparently they developed ideas about a world in which objects could be classified into different classes. Evidence first appears in South Africa, then in Asia and finally in Europe.
The oldest known cave painting was made in India two or three hundred thousand years ago. It consists of cup-shaped depressions and a sinuous line, chiseled into the sandstone of the cave. Around the same time, simple linear signs were made on various kinds of portable objects (bone, teeth, tusks and stones) found at sites of primitive man. Sets of clustered carved lines first appear in central and eastern Europe, they acquire a certain decoration that makes it possible to recognize individual motifs: scribbles, crosses, arcs and sets of parallel lines.
This period, which archaeologists call the Middle Paleolithic (somewhere between 35,000 and 150,000 years ago), was decisive for the development of human mental and cognitive abilities. This was also the time when people acquired seafaring skills and groups of colonists could make journeys of up to 180 km. Regular sea navigation obviously required improvement of the communication system, that is, language.
People of this era also mined ocher and flint in several world regions. They started building big ones shared houses from the bones and put stone walls inside the caves. And most importantly, they created art. In Australia, some examples of rock art were born 60,000 years ago, that is, during the era of human settlement of the continent. In hundreds of places there are objects believed to be of older origin than the art of Western Europe. But during this era, rock art also appeared in Europe. The oldest example of it that is known to us is a system of nineteen cup-like signs in a cave in France, carved on a stone slab, covering the site of a child’s burial.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this era is the cultural unanimity that reigned in the world at that time in all regions of settlement. Despite differences in tools, no doubt due to differences in environment, cultural behavior was remarkably resilient. The use of ocher and an expressively monotonous set of geometric marks indicate the existence of a universal artistic language between archaic Homo sapiens, including European Neanderthals and others that we know about from fossils.
Arranged in a circle curly images(sculptures) first appear in Israel (about 250-300 thousand years ago), in the form of modified natural forms, then in Siberia and central Europe (about 30-35 thousand years ago), and only then in Western Europe. Around 30,000 years ago, rock art became richer in intricate finger marks made into the soft surfaces of caves in Australia and Europe, and stenciled images of palms in France. Two-dimensional images of objects began to appear. The oldest examples, created approximately 32,000 years ago, come from France, followed by South African paintings (Namibia).
About 20,000 years ago (very recently in terms of human history) significant differences begin to form between cultures. Late Paleolithic people in Western Europe began fine traditions in both the sculptural and graphic arts of ritual and decorative consumption. Somewhere around 15,000 years ago, this tradition led to the appearance of such famous masterpieces, such as painting in the caves of Altamira (Spain) and Lescaut (France), as well as the appearance of thousands of elaborately carved figurines from stone, tusks, bone, clay and other materials. This was the time of the finest multicolored works of cave art, drawn or embossed by a certain hand of master craftsmen. However, the development of graphic traditions in other regions was not easy.
In Asia forms geometric art, developing, formed very perfect systems, some resemble official records, others - mnemonic emblems, original texts designed to refresh memory.
Starting from about the end ice age, about 10,000 years ago, rock art gradually expanded beyond the caves. This was dictated not so much by the search for new, better places, but (there is almost no doubt here) by the survival of rock art through selection. Rock painting preserves well in the permanent conditions of deep limestone caves, but not on rocky surfaces, which are more open to destruction. So, the unquestioned spread of rock art at the end of the Ice Age does not indicate an increase in artistic production, but rather the crossing of the threshold of what ensured good preservation.
On all continents beyond Antarctica, rock art now shows the diversity of artistic styles and cultures, the progressive increase in the ethnic diversity of humanity on all continents, and the development of major religions. Even the last one historical stage the development of mass migrations, colonization and religious expansion - thoroughly reflected in rock art.
DATING
There are two main forms of rock art, petroglyphs (carving) and pictors (painting). Petroglyphic motifs were created by carving, gouging, chasing or grinding rock surfaces. In pictographs, additional substances, usually paint, were applied to the rock surface. This difference is very important; it determines approaches to dating.
The methodology for scientific dating of rock art has only been developed within the last fifteen years. Therefore, it is still in its “infancy” stage, and the dating of almost all of the world’s rock art remains in poor condition. This, however, does not mean that we have no idea about his age: there are often all kinds of landmarks that allow us to determine the approximate or at least probable age. Sometimes you are lucky enough to determine the age of a rock painting quite accurately, especially when the paint contains organic substances or microscopic inclusions that allow dating due to the radioactive carbon isotope present in them. Careful evaluation of the results of such an analysis can determine the date quite accurately. On the other hand, dating petroglyphs remains extremely difficult.
Modern methods rely on determining the age of mineral deposits that may have been deposited on rock art. But they only allow you to determine the minimum age. One way is to analyze microscopic organic matter, interspersed with such mineral layers; laser technology can be successfully used here. Today, only one method is suitable for determining the age of the petroglyphs themselves. It is based on the fact that the mineral crystals, chipped when gouging out petroglyphs, initially had sharp edges, which became blunt and rounded over time. By determining the rate of such processes on nearby surfaces whose age is known, the age of the petroglyphs can be calculated.
Several archaeological methods can also help the dating matter a little. If, for example, the rock surface is covered with archaeological layers of mud whose age can be determined, they can be used to determine the minimum age of petroglyphs. They often resort to comparison of stylistic manners in order to determine the chronological framework of rock art, although not very successfully.
Much more reliable are the methods of studying rock art, which often resemble the methods of forensic science. For example, the components of paint can tell how it was made, what tools and admixtures were used, where the dyes were taken from, and the like. Human blood, used as a bonding agent during the Ice Age, has been found in Australian rock art. Australian researchers also discovered up to forty layers of paint superimposed on each other in different places, indicating constant redrawing of the same surface over a long period of time. Like the pages of a book, these layers convey to us the history of the use of surfaces by artists of many generations. The study of such layers is just beginning and can lead to a real revolution in views.
Pollen found on brush fibers in the paint of cave paintings indicates what crops were grown by the ancient artists' contemporaries. In some French caves, characteristic paint recipes were determined from their chemical composition. Using charcoal dyes, often used for drawings, even the type of wood burned into charcoal was determined.
The study of rock art has become a separate scientific discipline, and is already used by many other disciplines, from geology to semiotics, from ethnology to cybernetics. His methodology involves expressiveness using electronic images of colors of very damaged, almost completely faded drawings; a wide range of specialized description methods; microscopic studies of traces left by tools and scanty sediments.
VULNERABLE MONUMENTS
Methods for preserving prehistoric monuments are also being developed and increasingly used. Copies of rock art are made (fragments of an object or even the entire object) to prevent damage to the originals. Yet many of the world's prehistoric sites are in constant danger. Acid rain dissolves the protective mineral layers that cover many petroglyphs. All the rapid flows of tourists, urban sprawl, industrial and mining development, even unskilled research contribute to the dirty work of shortening the age of invaluable artistic treasures.
On December 18, 1994, the famous French speleologist Jean Marie Chauvet discovered a cave gallery with ancient images of animals. The find was named in honor of its discoverer - Chauvet Cave. We decided to talk about the most beautiful caves with rock paintings.
Chauvet Cave
The discovery of the Chauvet cave in the south of France near the town of Pont d'Arc became scientific sensation, which forced us to reconsider the existing understanding of the art of ancient people: it was previously believed that primitive painting developed in stages. At first, the images were very primitive, and more than one thousand years had to pass for the drawings on the walls of the caves to reach their perfection. Chauvet's find suggests the opposite: the age of some images is 30–33 thousand years, which means that our ancestors learned to draw even before moving to Europe. The discovered rock art represents one of the oldest examples of cave art in the world, in particular, the drawing of black rhinoceroses from Chauvet is still considered the most ancient. The south of France is rich in such caves, but none of them can compare with the Chauvet Cave either in size, or in the preservation and skill of the drawings. Mostly animals are depicted on the walls of the cave: panthers, horses, deer, as well as woolly rhinoceros, tarpan, cave lion and other animals of the Ice Age. In total, images of 13 different species of animals were found in the cave.
Now the cave is closed to tourists, as changes in air humidity can damage the images. Archaeologists can only work in a cave for a few hours a day. Today the Chauvet Cave is national treasure France.
Caves of Nerja
The Caves of Nerja are an amazingly beautiful series of huge caves near the city of Nerja in Andalusia, Spain. They received the nickname "Prehistoric Cathedral". They were discovered by accident in 1959. They are one of the main attractions of Spain. Some of their galleries are open to the public, and one of them, which forms a natural amphitheater and has excellent acoustics, even hosts concerts. In addition to the world's largest stalagmite, several mysterious drawings. Experts believe that seals or fur seals are depicted on the walls. Fragments were found near the drawings charcoal, whose radiocarbon dating gave an age between 43,500 and 42,300 years. If experts prove that the images were made with this charcoal, the seals of the Nerja Cave will turn out to be significantly older than the cave paintings from the Chauvet Cave. This will once again confirm the assumption that Neanderthals had the ability to creative imagination no less than that of Homo sapiens.
Photo: iDip/flickr.com, scitechdaily.com
Kapova Cave (Shulgan-Tash)
This karst cave was found in Bashkiria, on the Belaya River, in the area of which the Shulgan-Tash nature reserve is now located. This is one of the longest caves in the Urals. Cave paintings of ancient people from the Late Paleolithic era, the likes of which can only be found in very limited places in Europe, were discovered in Kapova Cave in 1959. Images of mammoths, horses and other animals are made mainly with ocher, a natural pigment based on animal fat, their age is about 18 thousand years. There are several charcoal drawings. In addition to animals, there are images of triangles, stairs, and oblique lines. The most ancient drawings, dating back to the early Paleolithic, are in the upper tier. On lower tier Kapova Cave contains later images of the Ice Age. The drawings are also notable for the fact that human figures are shown without the realism inherent in the animals depicted. Researchers suggest that the images were made in order to appease the “gods of the hunt.” In addition, cave paintings are designed to be perceived not from one specific point, but from several angles of view. To preserve the drawings, the cave was closed to the public in 2012, but an interactive kiosk was installed in the museum on the territory of the reserve for everyone to look at the drawings virtually.
Cueva de las Manos cave
Cueva de las Manos (“Cave of Many Hands”) is located in Argentina, in the province of Santa Cruz. World fame Cueva de las Manos in 1964 brought research by archeology professor Carlos Gradin, who discovered many wall paintings and human handprints, the oldest of which date back to the 9th millennium BC. e. More than 800 prints, overlapping each other, form a multi-colored mosaic. So far, scientists have not come to a consensus about the meaning of the images of hands, from which the cave got its name. Mostly left hands were captured: out of 829 prints, only 36 were right hands. Moreover, according to some researchers, the hands belong to teenage boys. Most likely, drawing an image of one’s hand was part of the initiation rite. In addition, scientists have built a theory about how such clear and clear handprints were obtained: apparently, a special composition was taken into the mouth and forcefully blown through a tube onto a hand attached to the wall. In addition to handprints, on the walls of the cave there are depictions of people, rhea ostriches, guanacos, cats, geometric figures with ornaments, hunting processes (the drawings show the use of bolas - a traditional throwing weapon of the Indians of South America) and observations of the sun. In 1999, the cave was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Lascaux Cave
The cave received the nickname " Sistine Chapel primitive painting", it has no equal in terms of quantity, quality and preservation of rock art. It was discovered in 1940 by four teenagers near the city of Montignac, France. The paintings and engraved drawings that are located here do not have an exact dating: they appeared around the 18th-15th millennium BC. e. and depict horses, cows, bulls, deer, bears. In total, there are about six hundred drawings of animals and almost one and a half thousand images carved on the walls. The drawings are made on a light background with shades of yellow, red, brown and black. Scientists claim that ancient people did not live in this cave, but used it exclusively for drawing, or the cave was something of a cult place. The Lascaux Cave was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
Andrey Matveev worked on the article
Materials used: http://smartnews.ru/articles/14122.html
Man has always been drawn to art. Proof of this is the numerous cave paintings all over the planet, created by our ancestors tens of thousands of years ago. Primitive creativity is evidence that people lived everywhere - from the hot African savannah to the Arctic Circle. America, China, Russia, Europe, Australia – ancient artists left their marks everywhere. One should not think that primitive painting is completely primitive. Among the rock masterpieces, there are also very skillful works that surprise with their beauty and technique, painted with bright colors and carrying deep meaning.
Petroglyphs and rock paintings of ancient people
Cueva de las Manos cave
The cave is located in the south of Argentina. The ancestors of the Indians of Patagonia lived here for a long time. On the walls of the cave, drawings were found depicting a scene of hunting wild animals, as well as many negative images of the hands of teenage boys. Scientists have suggested that drawing the outline of a hand on the wall is part of an initiation rite. In 1999, the cave was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List
Serra da Capivara National Park
After the discovery of many rock art sites, the area, located in the Brazilian state of Piaui, was declared a national park. Even in the days of pre-Columbian America, the Serra da Capivara park was a densely populated area, a large number of ancestral communities were concentrated here modern Indians. The cave paintings, created using charcoal, red hematite and white gypsum, date back to the 12th-9th millennium BC. They belong to the Nordesti culture.
Lascaux Cave
A monument of the Late Paleolithic period, one of the best preserved in Europe. The cave is located in France in the Vézère river valley. In the middle of the 20th century, drawings created 18-15 thousand years ago were discovered in it. They belong to the ancient Solutrean culture. The images are located in several cave halls. The most impressive 5-meter drawings of animals resembling bison are in the “Hall of Bulls”.
Kakadu National Park
The area is located in northern Australia, approximately 170 km from the city of Darwin. Over the past 40 thousand years, in the territory of the present national park Aboriginal people lived. They left behind interesting examples of primitive painting. These are images of hunting scenes, shamanic rituals and scenes of the creation of the world, made using a special “X-ray” technique.
Nine Mile Canyon
A gorge in the USA in the east of Utah is almost 60 km long. It was even nicknamed the longest art gallery because of the series rock petroglyphs. Some are created using natural dyes, others are carved directly into the rock. Most of the images were created by the Fremont Indians. In addition to the drawings, cave dwellings, well houses and ancient grain storage facilities are of interest.
Kapova Cave
An archaeological site located in Bashkortostan on the territory of the Shulgan-Tash nature reserve. The length of the cave is more than 3 km, the entrance in the form of an arch is 20 meters high and 40 meters wide. In the 1950s, primitive drawings of the Paleolithic era were discovered in four halls of the grotto - about 200 images of animals, anthropomorphic figures and abstract symbols. Most of them are created using red ocher.
Valley of Miracles
Mercantour National Park, which is called the "Valley of Miracles", is located near the Cote d'Azur. In addition to natural beauties, tourists are attracted by Mount Bego - a real archaeological site where tens of thousands of ancient paintings were discovered Bronze Age. These are geometric figures of unknown purpose, religious symbols and other mysterious signs.
Altamira Cave
The cave is located in northern Spain in the autonomous community of Cantabria. She became famous for her rock paintings, which were made using polychrome technique using a variety of natural dyes: ocher, hematite, coal. The images belong to the Magdalenian culture, which existed 15-8 thousand years BC. Ancient artists were so skillful that they were able to give images of bison, horses and wild boars a three-dimensional appearance, using the natural irregularities of the wall.
Chauvet Cave
A historical monument of France, located in the Ardèche River valley. About 40 thousand years ago, the cave was inhabited by ancient people, who left behind more than 400 drawings. The oldest images are over 35 thousand years old. The paintings have been perfectly preserved due to the fact that for a long time they could not reach Chauvet; it was discovered only in the 1990s. Unfortunately, tourist access to the cave is prohibited.
Tadrart-Akakus
Once upon a time, in the hot and practically barren Sahara there was a fertile and green area. There is a lot of evidence of this, including rock paintings discovered in Libya in the territory mountain range Tadrart-Akakus. Using these images, you can study the evolution of climate in this part of Africa, and trace the transformation of a flowering valley into a desert.
Wadi Methandush
Another masterpiece of rock art in Libya, located in the southwest of the country. The paintings of Wadi Methandush depict scenes with animals: elephants, cats, giraffes, crocodiles, bulls, antelopes. It is believed that the most ancient ones were created 12 thousand years ago. Most famous painting and the unofficial symbol of the area - two large cats locked in a duel.
Laas Gaal
A cave complex in the unrecognized state of Somaliland with perfectly preserved ancient drawings. These paintings are considered the best surviving of all on the African continent, they date back to 9-3 millennia BC. Basically, they are dedicated to the sacred cow - a cult animal that was worshiped in these places. The images were discovered in the early 2000s by a French expedition.
Bhimbetka cliff dwellings
Located in India, in the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is believed that erectus also lived in the Bhimbetka cave complex ( Homo erectus Homo erectus) are the immediate ancestors of modern humans. The drawings discovered by Indian archaeologists date back to the Mesolithic era. Interestingly, many of the rituals of the inhabitants of the surrounding villages are similar to the scenes depicted by ancient people. There are about 700 caves in Bhimbetka, of which more than 300 are well studied.
White Sea petroglyphs
Drawings primitive people are located on the territory of the White Sea Petroglyphs archaeological complex, which includes several dozen sites of ancient people. The images are located in a place called Zalavruga on the shores of the White Sea. In total, the collection consists of 2000 illustrations, grouped together, depicting people, animals, battles, rituals, hunting scenes, and also interesting picture man on skis.
Petroglyphs of Tassil-Adjer
A mountain plateau in Algeria, on the territory of which the largest drawings of ancient people discovered in northern Africa are located. Petroglyphs began to appear here from the 7th millennium BC. The main plot is hunting scenes and figures of animals of the African savannah. Illustrations made in different techniques, which indicates their belonging to different historical eras.
Tsodilo
The Tsodilo mountain range is located in the Kalahari Desert in Botswana. Here, over an area of more than 10 km², thousands of images created by ancient people were discovered. The researchers claim that they cover a time period of 100 thousand years. The most ancient creations are primitive contour images, while later ones represent an attempt by artists to give the drawings a three-dimensional effect.
Tomsk writing
A natural museum-reserve in the Kemerovo region, created in the late 1980s with the aim of preserving rock art. On its territory there are about 300 images, many of them created approximately 4 thousand years ago. The earliest date back to the 10th century BC. In addition to the creativity of the ancient man, tourists will be interested in seeing the ethnographic exhibition and museum collections that are part of the Tomsk Pisanitsa.
Magura Cave
The natural site is located in northwestern Bulgaria near the city of Belogradchik. During archaeological excavations in the 1920s, the first evidence of the presence of ancient man was found here: tools, ceramics, jewelry. More than 700 examples of rock paintings, presumably created 100-40 thousand years ago, were also discovered. In addition to figures of animals and people, they depict stars and the sun.
Gobustan Nature Reserve
The protected area includes mud volcanoes and ancient rock art. More than 6 thousand images were created by people who lived on this land from primitive era and until the Middle Ages. The subjects are quite simple - scenes of hunting, religious rituals, figures of people and animals. Gobustan is located in Azerbaijan, approximately 50 km from Baku.
Onega petroglyphs
Petroglyphs were discovered on the eastern shore of Lake Onega in the Pudozh region of Karelia. Drawings dating back to 4-3 millennia BC are placed on the rocks of several capes. Some illustrations are quite impressive 4 meters in size. In addition to standard images of people and animals, there are also mystical symbols of unknown purpose, which always frightened the monks of the nearby Murom Holy Dormition Monastery.
Rock reliefs at Tanum
A group of petroglyphs discovered in the 1970s on the territory of the Swedish commune of Tanum. They are located along a 25-kilometer line that is believed to have been the shore of a fjord in the Bronze Age. In total, archaeologists discovered approximately 3 thousand drawings, collected in groups. Unfortunately, under the influence of unfavorable natural conditions, petroglyphs are in danger of extinction. Gradually it becomes more and more difficult to distinguish their outlines.
Rock paintings in Alta
Primitive people lived not only in a comfortable warm climate, but also near the Arctic Circle. In the 1970s, in northern Norway near the city of Alta, scientists discovered large group prehistoric drawings, consisting of 5 thousand fragments. These paintings depict human life in harsh weather conditions. Some illustrations contain ornaments and signs that scientists have not been able to decipher.
Coa Valley Archaeological Park
An archaeological complex created at the site of the discovery of prehistoric paintings that date back to the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods (the so-called Solutrean culture). There are not only ancient images here, some elements were created in the Middle Ages. The drawings are located on rocks stretching for 17 km along the Koa River. There is also a Museum of Art and Archeology in the park, dedicated to history terrain.
Newspaper Rock
Translated, the name of the archaeological site means “Newspaper Stone”. Indeed, the petroglyphs covering the rock resemble a characteristic typographical seal. The mountain is located in American state Utah. It has not been established for certain when these signs were created. It is believed that the Indians applied them to the cliff both before the European conquerors arrived on the continent and after that.
Edakkal Caves
One of the archaeological treasures of India and all humanity is the Edakkal caves in the state of Kerala. During the Neolithic era, prehistoric petroglyphs were painted on the walls of the grottoes. These characters have not yet been deciphered. The area is a popular tourist attraction; visiting the caves is only possible as part of an excursion. Self-entrance is prohibited.
Petroglyphs of the archaeological landscape of Tamgaly
The Tamgaly tract is located approximately 170 km from Almaty. In the 1950s, about 2 thousand rock paintings were discovered on its territory. Most of the images were created in the Bronze Age, but there are also modern creations that appeared in the Middle Ages. Based on the nature of the drawings, scientists have suggested that an ancient sanctuary was located in Tamgaly.
Petroglyphs of the Mongolian Altai
The complex of rock signs, located in Northern Mongolia, covers an area of 25 km² and stretches 40 km in length. The images were created in the Neolithic era more than 3 thousand years ago, there are drawings even older, 5 thousand years old. Most of them depict deer with chariots; there are also figures of hunters and fairy-tale animals reminiscent of dragons.
Rock art in Hua Mountains
Chinese rock art was discovered in the south of the country in the Hua Mountains. They represent figures of people, animals, ships, celestial bodies, weapons, painted in rich ocher. In total there are about 2 thousand images, which are divided into 100 groups. Some pictures develop into full-fledged scenes, where you can see a solemn ceremony, ritual or procession.
Cave of Swimmers
The grotto is located in the Libyan Desert on the border of Egypt and Libya. In the 1990s, ancient petroglyphs were discovered there, their age exceeding 10 thousand years (Neolithic era). They depict people swimming in the sea or other body of water. That is why the cave was named by its modern name. After people began to visit the grotto en masse, many of the drawings began to deteriorate.
Horseshoe Canyon
The gorge is part of Canyonlands National Park, which is located in the US state of Utah. Horseshoe Canyon became famous because ancient paintings created by nomadic hunter-gatherers were discovered there in the 1970s. The images are depicted on panels about 5 meters high and 60 meters wide, they represent 2-meter humanoid figures.
Petroglyphs of Val Camonica
In the first half of the 20th century, in the Italian Val Camonica valley (Lombardy region), the largest collection of rock art in the world was discovered - more than 300 thousand drawings. Most of them were created in the Iron Age, the latest ones belong to the Camun culture, which is written about in ancient Roman sources. It is curious that when B. Mussolini was in power in Italy, these petroglyphs were considered evidence of the emergence of the superior Aryan race.
Twyfelfontein Valley
The most ancient settlements appeared in the Namibian Twyfelfontein Valley more than 5 thousand years ago. Around this time, rock paintings were created depicting the typical life of hunters and nomads. In total, scientists counted more than 2.5 thousand fragments, most of them are about 3 thousand years old, the youngest are about 500 years old. In the middle of the 20th century, someone stole an impressive part of the slabs with petroglyphs.
Chumash Painted Cave
A national park in California, on the territory of which there is a small sandstone grotto with wall paintings of the Chumash Indians. The subjects of the paintings reflect the ideas of the aborigines about the world order. According to various estimates, the paintings were created between 1 thousand and 200 years ago, which makes them quite modern compared to prehistoric cave paintings elsewhere in the world.
Petroglyphs of Toro Muerto
A group of petroglyphs in the Peruvian province of Castilla, which were created in the 6th-12th centuries during the Huari culture. Some scientists suggest that the Incas had a hand in them. The drawings depict animals, birds, celestial bodies, geometric patterns, as well as people dancing, probably performing some kind of ritual. In total, about 3 thousand painted stones of volcanic origin were discovered.
Petroglyphs of Easter Island
One of the most mysterious places planet, Easter Island, can surprise not only with its gigantic stone heads. Ancient petroglyphs painted on rocks, boulders, and cave walls are of no less interest and are considered an important archaeological heritage. They are either schematic images of a technical process, or non-existent animals and plants - scientists have yet to understand this issue.
Speleologists around the world find cave paintings ancient people in all corners globe. The rock paintings have been perfectly preserved to this day, although they were drawn many thousands of years ago. There are several types of such art, which are periodically included in the World Heritage List.
As a rule, ancient people painted the walls of caves with the same type of scenes - he depicted hunting, human hands, various battles, the sun and animals. Our ancestors attached special significance to these drawings and invested them with sacred meaning.
These paintings were created using in various ways and materials. Ocher, animal blood and chalk were used for drawing. And hewn pictures were created on stone using a special cutter.
We invite you to take a mini-excursion into the mysterious world with rock paintings created by ancient people BC.
Magura Cave, Bulgaria
Prehistoric pictures were found in the Bulgarian Magura cave, near Sofia, which amazes with its uniqueness and length. Underworld stretches for two kilometers, and the halls of the cave are enormous: its width is 50 m and its height is 20 m.
The discovered rock painting was created using bat guano. The pictures were painted in many layers over several periods: Paleolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. The drawings depict figures of ancient people and animals.
Here you can also find a painted sun and various tools.
Cueva de las Manos cave, Argentina
In Argentina there is another ancient cave with a large number rock paintings. Translated, it sounds like “Cave of Many Hands,” since it is dominated by the handprints of our ancestors. The rock painting is located in big hall 24 m wide and 10 m long. The approximate date of painting is 13-9 millennium BC.
Numerous hand marks are imprinted on the voluminous limestone canvas. Scientists have put forward their own version of the appearance of such clear prints - ancient people put a special composition in their mouths, and then blew through a tube onto their hand, which they placed against the wall of the cave.
There are also images of people, animals and geometric shapes.
Bhimbetka cliff dwellings, India
Many caves with rock art have been discovered in India. One of them is located in north-central India, in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Locals They gave this name to the cave in honor of the hero of the epic “Mahabharata”. The paintings of the ancient Indians date back to the Mesolithic era.
Here you can see both worn out, dim images and very colorful and interesting drawings. Basically, various battles and ornaments are depicted here. 
Serra da Capivara National Park, Brazil
In the Brazilian Serra da Capivara National Park there is a cave of ancient people, the walls of which have preserved drawings that were drawn 50 thousand years ago.
Scientists have discovered about 300 different works of art and architectural monuments here. The cave is dominated by drawings of animals and other representatives of the Paleolithic era. 
Laas Gaal cave complex, Somaliland
In the African republic of Somaliland, archaeologists discovered cave complex Laas Gaal, on the walls of which there are pictures from the 8th-9th and 3rd millennium BC. Ancient settlers depicted here a variety of everyday and life scenes: grazing, various rituals and games.
Contemporaries who live here are not particularly interested in this rock art. And in caves, as a rule, they only provide shelter from the rain. A large number of drawings have not yet been studied and archaeologists continue to study them. 
Rock art of Tadrart-Akakus, Libya
There is a hall of Oxen and a palace hall of Cats. Unfortunately, in 1998, these masterpieces of painting were almost ruined by mold. Therefore, to avoid this, the cave was closed in 2008. 
Around the world, speleologists deep caves find confirmation of the existence of ancient people. Rock paintings have been perfectly preserved for many millennia. There are several types of masterpieces - pictograms, petroglyphs, geoglyphs. Important monuments of human history are regularly included in the World Heritage Register.
Usually on the walls of caves there are common subjects, such as hunting, battle, images of the sun, animals, human hands. People in ancient times gave paintings sacred meaning, they believed they were helping themselves in the future.
Images were applied using various methods and materials. For artistic creativity animal blood, ocher, chalk and even bat guano were used. Special view paintings - hewn paintings, they were knocked out in stone using a special chisel.
Many caves have not been sufficiently studied and are limited in visiting, while others, on the contrary, are open to tourists. However, most of the precious cultural heritage disappears unattended, unable to find her researchers.
Below is small excursion into the world of the most interesting caves with prehistoric rock paintings.
Magura Cave, Bulgaria
It is famous not only for the hospitality of its residents and the indescribable flavor of the resorts, but also for its caves. One of them, with the sonorous name Magura, is located north of Sofia, near the town of Belogradchik. The total length of the cave galleries is more than two kilometers. The cave halls are colossal in size, each of them is about 50 meters wide and 20 meters high. The pearl of the cave is a rock painting made directly on the surface covered with bat guano. The paintings are multi-layered; there are a number of paintings from the Paleolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age periods. The drawings of ancient homo sapiens depict figures of dancing villagers, hunters, many strange animals, and constellations. The sun, plants, and tools are also represented. Here begins the story of the festivities of the ancient era and the solar calendar, scientists assure.
Cueva de las Manos Cave, Argentina
The cave with the poetic name Cueva de las Manos (from Spanish - “Cave of Many Hands”) is located in the province of Santa Cruz, exactly one hundred miles from the nearest settlement- the city of Perito Moreno. The rock painting art in the 24 meter long and 10 meter high hall dates back to the 13th to 9th millennia BC. This amazing painting on limestone is a voluminous canvas decorated with hand traces. Scientists have built a theory about how the amazingly clear and clear palm prints turned out. Prehistoric people they took a special composition, then put it in the mouth, and blew it forcefully through a tube onto a hand attached to the wall. In addition, there are stylized images of humans, rheas, guanacos, cats, geometric figures with ornaments, the process of hunting and observations of the sun.
Bhimbetka cliff dwellings, India
Enchanting offers tourists not only the delights of oriental palaces and charming dances. In north central India there are huge rock formations of weathered sandstone with many caves. Ancient people once lived in natural shelters. About 500 dwellings with traces of human habitation remain in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The Indians called cliff dwellings named Bhimbetka (from the name of the hero of the epic "Mahabharata"). The art of the ancients here dates back to the Mesolithic era. Some of the paintings are insignificant, and some of the hundreds of images are very typical and striking. 15 rock masterpieces are available for contemplation by those who wish. Mainly, patterned ornaments and battle scenes are depicted here.
Serra da Capivara National Park, Brazil
Both rare animals and venerable scientists find shelter in the Serra da Capivara National Park. And 50 thousand years ago, our distant ancestors found shelter here in caves. Presumably, this is the oldest community of hominids in South America. The park is located near the town of San Raimondo Nonato, in the central part of the state of Piaui. Experts counted more than 300 here archaeological sites. The main surviving images date back to 25-22 millennium BC. The most amazing thing is that extinct bears and other paleofauna are painted on the rocks.
Laas Gaal cave complex, Somaliland
The Republic of Somaliland recently separated from Somalia in Africa. Archaeologists in this area are interested in the Laas Gaal cave complex. Presented here rock paintings times 8-9 and 3 millennium BC. On the granite walls of majestic natural shelters scenes of life and everyday life of the nomadic people of Africa are depicted: the process of grazing livestock, ceremonies, playing with dogs. The local population does not attach importance to the drawings of their ancestors, and uses the caves, as in the old days, for shelter during the rain. Many of the studies have not been properly studied. In particular, problems arise with the chronological reference of masterpieces of Arab-Ethiopian ancient rock paintings.
Rock art of Tadrart Acacus, Libya
Not far from Somalia, in Libya, there are also rock paintings. They are much earlier, dating back almost to the 12th millennium BC. The last of them were applied after the birth of Christ, in the first century. It is interesting to observe, following the drawings, how the fauna and flora changed in this area of the Sahara. First we see elephants, rhinoceroses and fauna typical of a rather humid climate. Also interesting is the clearly visible change in the lifestyle of the population - from hunting to sedentary cattle breeding, then to nomadism. To reach Tadrart Akakus, you need to cross the desert east of the city of Ghat.
Chauvet Cave, France
In 1994, while walking, by chance, Jean-Marie Chauvet discovered the cave that later became famous. She was named after the speleologist. In the Chauvet Cave, in addition to traces of the life activity of ancient people, hundreds of wonderful frescoes were discovered. The most amazing and beautiful of them depict mammoths. In 1995 the cave became state monument, and in 1997, 24-hour surveillance was introduced here to prevent damage to the magnificent heritage. Today, in order to take a look at the incomparable rock art of the Cro-Magnons, you need to obtain special permission. In addition to mammoths, there is something to admire; here on the walls there are handprints and fingerprints of representatives of the Aurignacian culture (34-32 thousand years BC)
Kakadu National Park, Australia
In fact, the name of the Australian national park has nothing to do with the famous Cockatoo parrots. The Europeans simply mispronounced the name of the Gaagudju tribe. This nation is now extinct, and there is no one to correct the ignorant. The park is home to Aboriginal people who have not changed their way of life since the Stone Age. For thousands of years, Indigenous Australians have been involved in rock painting. Pictures were painted here already 40 thousand years ago. In addition to religious scenes and hunting, there are stylized stories in drawings about useful skills (educational) and magic (entertaining). Among the animals depicted are the extinct marsupial tigers, catfish, and barramundi. All the wonders of the Arnhem Land plateau, Colpignac and the southern hills are located 171 km from the city of Darwin. in the 35th millennium BC, it was the early Paleolithic. They left strange rock paintings in the Altamira cave. Artistic artifacts on the walls of the huge cave date back to both the 18th and 13th millennia. IN last period Interesting are the polychrome figures, the unique combination of engraving and painting, and the acquisition of realistic details. The famous bison, deer and horses, or rather, their beautiful images on the walls of Altamira often appear in textbooks for middle school students. The Altamira Cave is located in the Cantabria region.
Lascaux Cave, France
Lascaux is not just a cave, but a whole complex of small and large cave halls located in the south of France. Not far from the caves is the legendary village of Montignac. The paintings on the cave walls were painted 17 thousand years ago. And to this day they amaze with their amazing forms, akin to contemporary art graffiti. Scholars especially value the Hall of the Bulls and the Palace Hall of the Cats. It’s easy to guess what prehistoric creators left there. In 1998 rock masterpieces Almost destroyed by mold caused by an improperly installed air conditioning system. And in 2008, Lascaux was closed to preserve more than 2,000 unique drawings.
