The Importance of Cave Art in Human History Kirby Kragenbring

What Is Cave Art?

Cave art ranges from basic tracings of human hands to more detailed portrayals of animals and humans The animals painted were often large ones such as deer, horses and bison, or animals that the early people often ate The hands some people believe are the signatures of the artists as well as abstract patters The human figure was not drawn in much detail, it was more of an outline

What Is Cave Art? Cave art has been found dating back 40,800 years Some scientists however believe that cave art may have existed in Africa as far back as 100,000 years ago Cave art may have been created for a religious purpose as well as a type of map or writing to help find game for food

What Is Cave Art? Cave art showed sexuality as well Figures of women were found with references of the menstrual cycle painted between its legs This shows a fascination with sexuality as well as the mystery that was the woman in early human history

Why Is Cave Art Important?

Why Is Cave Art Important The importance of cave art as it is possibly marks a period where early human mental development reached another milestone in its development leading to our minds today. Art and the ability to think of abstract concepts is what distinguishes our species - capabilities that also led us to use fire, develop the wheel and come up with the other technologies that have made our kind so successful. Its emergence, therefore, marks one of the key moments when our species became truly human.

Why Did Cave Art Start?

There are many different theories as to why cave art had been created. One such theory states that along with ice ages came life and death of many animals that early humans used for food, This created a need for a type of record keeping Using the cave drawings as a type of record to track game may have been the reason for the art we find today

Why Did Cave Art Start? Another theory about he formation of cave art surrounds the location of the caves that contain the art. The caves the held the art were often hard to get to making frequent visits This may suggest that the visits that did happen may have had special circumstances One such idea is that the art may have been a type of good luck ritual for hunters The paintings were often placed one on top of the other as if they were visited around the same time every now and then

Why Did Cave Start Art? Yet another theory surrounds a type of catastrophe that greatly reduced the numbers of humans and animals This caused a need for innovation to survive This paired with a transition from a diet that was slow growing animals to large mammals the grew quickly The paintings would show great detail about animals such as their hoof prints and the bones found in caves may have been used to teach young hunters

Cave Art

Controversy

There are a few controversies surrounding Cave Art These do not have to do with the actuality of the art itself but more the reasoning behind it which stands to be one of the major controversies surrounding prehistoric cave art The dates also spark controversy whether there was art as far back as 100,000 years ago or if it is a relatively new development in the larger picture

Why This Is Important Today?

The creation of Cave Art signals a great shift in the thinking of early humans Art may have developed around a time that the diet changed allowing for the early humans to ingest more calories allowing for the brain to grow larger This would have allowed for the creation of language and early religion as well as art as a way to communicate and bring people together This was a fundamental step towards other advances in early human life such as fire, the wheel, and other technologies

Why Is This Important Today? With the growth of primitive language and ways to communicate it allowed for early humans to create basic communities The representation of the woman in prehistoric cave art as well as early figurines show that these early humans may have worshipped women for the miracles of birth and the mystery of breast feeding as the menstrual cycle This early worship shows that there was a basic language which may have been the art itself, meaning the art may have been more writing that just “art”

My Interpretation

I believe the cave art started simply as a form of record keeping Allowing for early humans to track animal movement and to teach young hunters what to look for when tracking animals As this developed and calories increased as well did the brains development I believe the worship of women increased because the lack of understanding of the anatomy as well as child birth. I associate this with a change in the human diet the most though allowing the brain to further develop and abstract thinking to enhance human life

Cave Art

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