The Legacy of Cave Paintings
Overview
What did early humans do with their time? Evidence discovered since the mid-nineteenth century in Western Europe suggests that they did a lot of drawing on the walls of caves. France and Spain have been the centers of an extraordinary number of cave painting discoveries. What is notable and significant about these cave paintings are the archaic depictions of animal life in pre-historic times, which our pre-human ancestors apparently encountered. While the first discoveries were made in the nineteenth century, the most spectacular discoveries were made in the last half of the twentieth century. The discovery of these cave paintings suggests to modern researchers a sophistication and artistic sensibility of prehistoric humanity, which was once unthinkable among anthropologists. This pre-historic art suggests that our ancestors were not only aware of their environment, but were probably very articulate.
Background
Marcellino de Sautuola, at Altamira, Spain, discovered the first significant cave paintings in1875. The findings were so extraordinary and contrary to popular thought about early and pre-humans that most experts refused to believe they were Paleolithic. Later, around 1900, similar discoveries at Les Eyzies, France, were finally accepted and recognized as one of the most surprising and exciting archaeological discoveries of all time.
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