Evolution of prehistoric cave art
Top Cited Papers
- 4 October 2001
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Springer Nature in Nature
- Vol. 413 (6855) , 479
- https://doi.org/10.1038/35097160
Abstract
Sophisticated examples of European palaeolithic parietal art can be seen in the caves of Altamira, Lascaux and Niaux near the Pyrenees, which date to the Magdalenian period (12,000-17,000 years ago), but paintings of comparable skill and complexity were created much earlier, some possibly more than 30,000 years ago. We have derived new radiocarbon dates for the drawings that decorate the Chauvet cave in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, Ardèche, France, which confirm that even 30,000 years ago Aurignacian artists, already known as accomplished carvers, could create masterpieces comparable to the best Magdalenian art. Prehistorians, who have traditionally interpreted the evolution of prehistoric art as a steady progression from simple to more complex representations, may have to reconsider existing theories of the origins of art.Keywords
This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
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- La grotte Cosquer datéeBulletin de la Société préhistorique française, 1992
- Des dates pour Niaux et GargasBulletin de la Société préhistorique française, 1992