Posted on 04/23/2016 11:54:33 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Prehistoric cave occupants paid attention to cave wall morphology and touch when creating hand stencils.
Human occupants of two caves in Northern Spain put some thought into where they placed their hand stencils on cave walls as much as 37,000 years ago, during Palaeolithic times. The topography and physical characteristics of the walls in the low light conditions of the caves seem to have mattered to them, suggest a team of researchers...
What they found was a pattern that indicated selection or attention to certain types of natural cave wall features for placement of the stencils. "In total 80% of observable stencils at La Garma and 74% at El Castillo have some kind of association, either with fissures or undulations on the caves' surfaces," state the researchers in the study report. "Some stencils seem to have been 'fitted' to subtle topographic features in the wall, and some were positioned on bosses in the wall in such a manner that they appear to be 'gripping' the wall in a similar way that explorers use their hands to steady themselves when navigating the caves," ...
Moreover, under the low-light conditions of the caves, the authors suggest that the stencils were created using a significant reliance on touch and close-up scrutiny of the surface, in addition to overall visual facility.
Interestingly, the few hand stencils that were created in what would have been difficult or uncomfortable positions for the artists were clearly placed in association with certain types of natural features, such as atop a stalactite, associated with a crack, or ergonomically fitted to a concave surface with the fingers 'gripping' a boss.
The researchers also determined that more than one individual was making similar decisions about the placement of the stencils, indicating common or shared choices among a group of individuals.
(Excerpt) Read more at popular-archaeology.com ...
“This way to the egress.”
“Easy meal here.”
“Gents.”
I bet you could if dinner depended on it!
Obviously the cavewoman was directing the caveman where to place their art, ....until they got it just right.
Whoa! <3
That is really interesting, thanks for the post! East is at the top.
Maybe it means “Goomba at 4 yrs. old. Goomba at 7 years old. Goomba just before the bear ate him.” We had the same type of markings in my old farmhouse before the bulldozer ate it.
“Mog, why you no bring flowers to cave like other troglodytes?”
“Talk to the hand!”
wow, those are beautiful..... reminds me of da Vinci
found this
from Latin Hibernia, the Roman name for Ireland, also in forms Iverna, Juverna, Ierne, etc., all ultimately from Old Celtic *Iveriu “Ireland” (see Irish (n.)). This particular form of the name was altered in Latin as though it meant “land of winter” (see hibernation).
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Hibernia
Those rascals were clever. Next we’ll find some tie dyed saber toothed tiger skins.
It’s Hibernia.
Oh, sorry, you’d caught it.
It’s thumb accomplishment.
;’)
It’s speculative of course, but if that’s why we do it, why not? :’)
Put 37,000 cave artists to work in a cave for 37,000 years, one of them will write a Shakespeare play — unfortunately, we’ll never figure out the translation.
:’)
This is a very punny thread.
Interesting map. It has Ravenna on the wrong side of the Apennines.
Yet, even with the distortion, modern geographers can say, Mount Sinai should be about here." -- and,there it is...
That is an amazing amount of data! And, it makes surprisingly good sense...
Thanks for posting it!
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