Why must all cave and rock drawings always have some ‘religious significance’ attached to them? Will future archaeologists see our graffiti street artists as shaman or religious artists when digging up NYC ruins?
Mexican and other American Latino cultures have used murals an wall paintings for centuries, some with religious meaning, but by no means all.
Hobos of the American Depression era left marks for their brethren on the road to indicate danger or free meals or safe abode places.
Military men of all ages have left marks on local geography for references and as a way of saying “Kilroy was here” even in Roman times and before.
In the movie “Castaway” starring Tom Hanks, a true story of a guy lost on an island in the Pacific, he made an analemma on the cave wall using the sunlight shining thru a hole, to use as a calendar. Will some future archaeologist discover this cave long after the movie has been forgotten in the ashes of history and see some astronomical religious significance like Stonehenge?
There are many reasons why people have left their marks on caves and rocks over the millenia but I doubt that they all have any religious basis. I’d imagine a lot of them may just be for decoration......................
One reason for thinking the older cave paintings in France were “religious” and done by men is that they were frequently deep in the caves and hard to reach. They were not where the women were hanging out with the children, cooking, sewing, and sharing stories. Also, once the big hunts were done, the women had a lot more of the work to do, cutting, drying, curing and sewing skins, cooking, caring for kids, etc. The men just sat around making arrows and spear points, sleeping, telling stories, and inventing religions, until another hunt was needed.
So far as that boat is concerned, I see lines going from a mast to the front and back ends of the boat. This looks like what was done with the papyrus/reed boats that were used early on the Nile. It was necessary to pull up each end so it did not sag down into the water.