What is the name of the caveman drawing 9 letters. How and with what people painted from primitive times to the Middle Ages

The oldest cave paintings of primitive people were amazing images that were mainly painted on stone walls. It is worth noting that in general, cave painting is unique. Today, perhaps, every person has identified from a video or photo that the rock paintings are deer, people with arrows, mammoths and much more. At that time, artists did not know such a thing as composition. Experts say that the animals that are depicted on rocks or other foundations are sacred animals, the ancestors of a clan, or one of the objects of veneration of a particular tribe.

There is an opinion that the cave paintings of primitive people are animals that were hunted by people of that time. IN in this case These drawings served as magical rituals, with the help of which hunters wanted to attract real animals during the hunt.

The main part of such paintings is located in the depths of caves - places that were considered a kind of sanctuary. If we talk about the Madeleine era, then this period became quite bright in the development of Paleolithic art. Most of these finds are located in the southwestern part of France, in the Pyrenees regions, as well as in the northwestern part of Spain.

Changes in the life of primitive people

After the disappearance of certain species of animals, as well as due to climate change, the nature of the activities of people of that time changed significantly. For example, people
They stopped hunting and collecting food in the area less; they began to pay more attention to agriculture and cattle breeding. Changes also affected magical images, that is, the cave paintings of primitive people became different. People began to make rock paintings not in the depths of caves, but, on the contrary, closer to the exits and, in some cases, outside.

If we talk about the Paleolithic era, then it was almost impossible to find images of people here. Now the person is the main thing actor in the depicted space. The domestication of animals led to the fact that they began to be depicted next to people. For example, they were used to depict hunting scenes. In addition, people began to use a completely different technique of painting on rocks.

Basically, figures were depicted schematically using triangles and also straight lines. In addition, the images were monochrome. For example, artists of that time used black, red, orange, or white mineral paint. In addition to scenes of hunting, scenes of various ritual dances and battles began to appear on the rocks. And also scenes of grazing cattle. Murals of this type can be seen throughout Spain.

The first examples of sculpture

If we talk about the first examples of Neolithic sculpture, they were associated with the funeral cult: skulls, both human and animal, and much more. Images of naked women with large breasts and hips also became common. Rarely, pregnant women were also depicted.

First monumental sculptures appeared in southern Europe. Also at that time, ceramic products appeared. The first products were wicker bottles, as well as baskets, which were decorated with various ornaments.

It should be noted that historians, as well as archaeologists, are still actively searching for rock art, of which, according to experts, there are still many. The most common rock carvings are images of deer, tigers, mammoths, and horses. It is no secret that today the cave paintings of primitive people raise a large number of controversial issues among a large number of historians and archaeologists.

Video: Cave paintings of ancient people

Read also:

• 

  It's no secret that one of the most important mysteries in chronology, as well as calendars, is the date that was taken as the beginning of the countdown of time. Today, chronology in ancient Rus' is a rather controversial issue.

• 

  The main prerequisites for the emergence of the Old Russian state developed during the 6th-8th centuries. During this period of time, a large number of different events took place: the collapse of the clan system, the formation tribal unions, replacement of generic division, etc. It is worth noting that Old Russian

• 

  It is no secret that before man, various creatures similar to him lived on earth, which will be discussed in our article. First of all, we will find out who the Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons were, what they did and what they ate.

Primitive (or, in other words, primitive) art geographically covers all continents except Antarctica, and in time - the entire era of human existence, preserved by some peoples living in remote corners of the planet to this day.

Most ancient paintings were found in Europe (from Spain to the Urals).

Well preserved on the walls of the caves - the entrances turned out to be tightly blocked thousands of years ago, the same temperature and humidity were maintained there.

Not only has it survived Wall art, but also other evidence of human activity - clear traces bare feet adults and children on the damp floor of some caves.

Causes of origin creative activity and functions primitive art Human need for beauty and creativity.

Beliefs of the time. The man portrayed those whom he revered. People of that time believed in magic: they believed that with the help of paintings and other images they could influence nature or the outcome of the hunt. It was believed, for example, that it was necessary to hit a drawn animal with an arrow or spear in order to ensure the success of a real hunt.

Periodization

Paleolithic

The most early works Primitive art dates back to the late Paleolithic. 35 – 10 thousand BC
Scientists are inclined to believe that naturalistic art and the depiction of schematic signs and geometric figures arose simultaneously.
Pasta drawings. Human handprints and random weaves wavy lines, pressed into damp clay with the fingers of the same hand.

The first drawings from the Paleolithic period (ancient Stone Age, 35–10 thousand BC) were discovered at the end of the 19th century. Spanish amateur archaeologist Count Marcelino de Sautuola three kilometers from his family estate, in the Altamira cave.

It happened like this:
“The archaeologist decided to explore a cave in Spain and took his little daughter with him. Suddenly she shouted: “Bulls, bulls!” The father laughed, but when he raised his head, he saw huge painted figures of bison on the ceiling of the cave. Some of the bison were depicted standing still, others rushing at the enemy with inclined horns. At first, scientists did not believe that primitive people could create such works of art. It was only 20 years later that numerous works of primitive art were discovered in other places and the authenticity of cave paintings was recognized.”

Paleolithic painting

Fragment. Buffalo. Altamira Cave. Spain. Late Paleolithic. The caves were illuminated with lamps and reproduced from memory. Not primitivism, but highest degree stylization. When the cave was opened, it was believed that this was an imitation of hunting - the magical meaning of the image. But today there are versions that the goal was art. The beast was necessary for man, but he was terrible and difficult to catch.

Fragment. Bull. Altamira. Spain. Late Paleolithic.
Beautiful brown shades. Tense stop of the beast. They used the natural relief of the stone and depicted it on the convexity of the wall.

Fragment. Bison. Altamira. Spain. Late Paleolithic.
Transition to polychrome art, darker strokes.

Cave of Font de Gaume. France

Grazing deer. Font de Gaume. France. Late Paleolithic.
Perspective image of horns. Deer at this time (the end of the Madeleine era) replaced other animals.

Fragment. Buffalo. Font de Gaume. France. Late Paleolithic.
The hump and crest on the head are emphasized. The overlap of one image with another is a polypsest. Detailed study. Decorative solution for the tail. Picture of houses.

Wolf. Font de Gaume. France. Late Paleolithic.

Nio's Cave. France

Horse. Nio. France. Late Paleolithic.
Depicted already with 4 legs. The silhouette is outlined with black paint, and the inside is retouched with yellow. The character of a pony-type horse.

Stone ram. Nio. France. Late Paleolithic. Partially contoured image, the skin is drawn on top.

Deer. Nio. France. Late Paleolithic.

Buffalo. Nio. Nio. France. Late Paleolithic.
Most of the images include bison. Some of them are shown wounded, with black and red arrows.

Buffalo. Nio. France. Late Paleolithic.

Lascaux Cave

Lascaux Cave. France.
Late Paleolithic (Madeleine era, 18 - 15 thousand years BC).
Called primitive Sistine Chapel. Consists of several large rooms: rotunda; main gallery; passage; apse.
Colorful images on the calcareous white surface of the cave.
The proportions are greatly exaggerated: large necks and bellies.
Contour and silhouette drawings. Clear images without aliasing. A large number of male and female signs (rectangle and many dots).

Hunting scene. Lasko. France. Late Paleolithic.
Genre image. A bull killed by a spear gored a man with a bird's head. There’s a bird on a stick nearby—maybe his soul.

Buffalo. Lasko. France. Late Paleolithic.

Horse. Lasko. France. Late Paleolithic.

Mammoths and horses. Kapova cave. Ural.
Late Paleolithic.

KAPOVA CAVE- to the South. m Ural, on the river. White. Formed in limestones and dolomites. The corridors and grottoes are located on two floors. The total length is over 2 km. On the walls are Late Paleolithic paintings of mammoths and rhinoceroses

Paleolithic sculpture

Relief

Everyone knows the wonderful French writer Prosper Merimee, author exciting novel"Chronicle of the reign of Charles IX", "Carmen" and other romantic stories, but few people know that he served as an inspector for the protection of historical monuments. It was he who handed over this record in 1833 to the historical museum of Cluny, which was just being organized in the center of Paris. It is now kept in the Museum of National Antiquities (Saint-Germain en Lay).
Later, a cultural layer of the Upper Paleolithic era was discovered in the Chaffo Grotto. But then, just as it was with the painting of the Altamira cave, and with other visual monuments of the Paleolithic era, no one could believe that this art was older than ancient Egyptian. Therefore, such engravings were considered examples of Celtic art (V-IV centuries BC). Only at the end of the 19th century, again, like cave painting, they were recognized as the oldest after they were found in the Paleolithic cultural layer.

The figurines of women are very interesting. Most of these figurines are small in size: from 4 to 17 cm. They were made from stone or mammoth tusks. Their most notable hallmark is an exaggerated “plumpiness”; they depict women with overweight figures.

"Venus with a Cup" Bas-relief. France. Upper (Late) Paleolithic.
Goddess of the Ice Age. The canon of the image is that the figure is inscribed in a rhombus, and the stomach and chest are in a circle.

Sculpture- mobile art.
Almost everyone who has studied Paleolithic female figurines, with varying degrees of detail, explains them as cult objects, amulets, idols, etc., reflecting the idea of ​​motherhood and fertility.

"Venus of Willendorf". Limestone. Willendorf, Lower Austria. Late Paleolithic.
Compact composition, no facial features.

"The Hooded Lady from Brassempouy." France. Late Paleolithic. Mammoth bone.
Facial features and hairstyle have been worked out.

In Siberia, in the Baikal region, a whole series of original figurines of a completely different stylistic appearance was found. Along with the same overweight figures of naked women as in Europe, there are figurines of slender, elongated proportions and, unlike European ones, they are depicted dressed in thick, most likely fur clothes, similar to “overalls”.
These are finds from the Buret sites on the Angara and Malta rivers.

conclusions
Rock painting. Peculiarities pictorial art Paleolithic – realism, expression, plasticity, rhythm.
Small plastic.
The depiction of animals has the same features as in painting (realism, expression, plasticity, rhythm).
Paleolithic female figurines are cult objects, amulets, idols, etc., they reflect the idea of ​​motherhood and fertility.

Mesolithic

After the glaciers melted, the familiar fauna disappeared. Nature becomes more pliable to humans. People become nomads.
With a change in lifestyle, a person’s view of the world becomes broader. He is not interested in an individual animal or a random discovery of cereals, but active work people, thanks to which they find whole herds of animals, and fields or forests rich in fruits.
This is how the art of multi-figure composition arose in the Mesolithic, in which it was no longer the beast, but man, who played the dominant role.
Changes in the field of art:
The main characters of the image are not an individual animal, but people in some kind of action.
The task is not in a believable, accurate depiction of individual figures, but in conveying action and movement.
Multi-figure hunts are often depicted, scenes of honey collection, and cult dances appear.
The character of the image changes - instead of realistic and polychrome, it becomes schematic and silhouetted. Local colors are used - red or black.

A honey collector from a hive, surrounded by a swarm of bees. Spain. Mesolithic.

Almost everywhere where planar or three-dimensional images of the Upper Paleolithic era were discovered, in artistic activity people of the subsequent Mesolithic era seemed to be experiencing a pause. Perhaps this period is still poorly studied, perhaps the images made not in caves, but in the open air, were washed away by rain and snow over time. Perhaps among the petroglyphs, which are very difficult to date accurately, there are those dating back to this time, but we do not yet know how to recognize them. It is significant that small plastic objects are extremely rare during excavations of Mesolithic settlements.

Of the Mesolithic monuments, literally a few can be named: Stone Tomb in Ukraine, Kobystan in Azerbaijan, Zaraut-Sai in Uzbekistan, Shakhty in Tajikistan and Bhimpetka in India.

In addition to rock paintings, petroglyphs appeared in the Mesolithic era.
Petroglyphs are carved, carved, or scratched rock images.
When carving a design, ancient artists used a sharp tool to knock down the upper, darker part of the rock, and therefore the images stand out noticeably against the background of the rock.

In the south of Ukraine, in the steppe there is a rocky hill made of sandstone rocks. As a result of severe weathering, several grottoes and canopies were formed on its slopes. In these grottoes and on other planes of the hill, numerous carved and scratched images have been known for a long time. In most cases they are difficult to read. Sometimes images of animals are guessed - bulls, goats. Scientists attribute these images of bulls to the Mesolithic era.

Stone grave. South of Ukraine. General view and petroglyphs. Mesolithic.

South of Baku between the southeastern slope of the Bolshoi Caucasian ridge and the coast of the Caspian Sea there is a small plain of Gobustan (a country of ravines) with hills in the form of table mountains composed of limestone and other sedimentary rocks. On the rocks of these mountains there are many petroglyphs of different times. Most of them were opened in 1939. Most Interest and large (more than 1 m) images of female and male figures, made with deep carved lines, became famous.
There are many images of animals: bulls, predators and even reptiles and insects.

Kobystan (Gobustan). Azerbaijan (territory of the former USSR). Mesolithic.

Grotto Zaraout-Qamar
In the mountains of Uzbekistan, at an altitude of about 2000 m above sea level, there is a monument widely known not only among archaeological specialists - the Zaraut-Kamar grotto. The painted images were discovered in 1939 by local hunter I.F. Lamaev.
The painting in the grotto is made with ocher different shades(from red-brown to lilac) and represents four groups of images, which involve anthropomorphic figures and bulls.

Here is the group in which most researchers see bull hunting. Among the anthropomorphic figures surrounding the bull, i.e. There are two types of “hunters”: figures in clothes that flare out at the bottom, without bows, and “tailed” figures with raised and drawn bows. This scene can be interpreted as a real hunt by disguised hunters, and as a kind of myth.

The painting in the Shakhty grotto is probably the oldest in Central Asia.
“I don’t know what the word Shakhty means,” writes V.A. Ranov. “Perhaps it comes from the Pamir word “shakht,” which means rock.”

In the northern part of Central India, huge cliffs with many caves, grottoes and canopies stretch along river valleys. A lot of rock carvings have been preserved in these natural shelters. Among them, the location of Bhimbetka (Bhimpetka) stands out. Apparently these picturesque images date back to the Mesolithic. True, we should not forget about the unevenness in the development of cultures different regions. The Mesolithic of India may be 2-3 millennia older than in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Some scenes of driven hunts with archers in the paintings of the Spanish and African cycles are, as it were, the embodiment of the movement itself, taken to the limit, concentrated in a stormy whirlwind.

Neolithic

Neolithic- New Stone Age, the last stage of the Stone Age.
Periodization. The entry into the Neolithic coincides with the transition of culture from an appropriating (hunters and gatherers) to a producing (farming and/or cattle breeding) type of economy. This transition is called the Neolithic Revolution. The end of the Neolithic dates back to the time of the appearance of metal tools and weapons, that is, the beginning of the Copper, Bronze or Iron Age.
Different cultures entered this period of development at different times. In the Middle East, the Neolithic began around 9.5 thousand years ago. BC e. In Denmark, the Neolithic dates back to the 18th century. BC, and among the indigenous population of New Zealand - the Maori - the Neolithic existed back in the 18th century. AD: Before the arrival of Europeans, Maori used polished stone axes. Some peoples of America and Oceania have still not completely transitioned from the Stone Age to the Iron Age.

Neolithic, like other periods primitive era, is not a specific chronological period in the history of mankind as a whole, but characterizes only cultural characteristics of certain peoples.

Achievements and activities
1. New features of people's social life:
- The transition from matriarchy to patriarchy.
- At the end of the era, in some places (Foreign Asia, Egypt, India), a new formation of class society took shape, that is, social stratification began, the transition from a tribal-communal system to a class society.
- At this time, cities begin to be built. Jericho is considered one of the most ancient cities.
- Some cities were well fortified, which indicates the existence of organized wars at that time.
- Armies and professional warriors began to appear.
- We can quite say that the beginning of the formation of ancient civilizations is associated with the Neolithic era.

2. The division of labor and the formation of technologies began:
- The main thing is that simple gathering and hunting as the main sources of food are gradually being replaced by agriculture and cattle breeding.
The Neolithic is called the “age of polished stone.” In this era stone tools not just chipped, but already sawed, polished, drilled, sharpened.
- Among the most important tools in the Neolithic is the ax, previously unknown.
spinning and weaving developed.

Images of animals begin to appear in the design of household utensils.

Ax in the shape of a moose head. Polished stone. Neolithic. Historical Museum. Stockholm.

A wooden ladle from the Gorbunovsky peat bog near Nizhny Tagil. Neolithic. State Historical Museum.

For the Neolithic forest zone, fishing became one of the leading types of economy. Active fishing contributed to the creation of certain reserves, which, combined with hunting animals, made it possible to live in one place all year round.
The transition to a sedentary lifestyle led to the appearance of ceramics.
The appearance of ceramics is one of the main signs of the Neolithic era.

The village of Catal Huyuk (Eastern Turkey) is one of the places where the most ancient examples of ceramics were found.

Cup from Ledce (Czech Republic). Clay. Bell Beaker culture. Chalcolithic (Copper-Stone Age).

Monuments of Neolithic painting and petroglyphs are extremely numerous and scattered over vast territories.
Clusters of them are found almost everywhere in Africa, eastern Spain, in the territory of the former USSR - in Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, on Lake Onega, near the White Sea and in Siberia.
Neolithic rock art is similar to Mesolithic, but the subject matter becomes more varied.

"Hunters". Rock painting. Neolithic (?). Southern Rhodesia.

For approximately three hundred years, the attention of scientists has been captivated by a rock known as the Tomsk Pisanitsa.
“Pisanitsa” are images painted with mineral paint or carved on the smooth surface of walls in Siberia.
Back in 1675, one of the brave Russian travelers, whose name, unfortunately, remained unknown, wrote down:
“Before reaching the fortress (Verkhnetomsk fortress), on the edges of the Tom River there lies a large and high stone, and on it are written animals, and cattle, and birds, and all sorts of similar things...”
Real scientific interest in this monument arose already in the 18th century, when, by order of Peter I, an expedition was sent to Siberia to study its history and geography. The result of the expedition was the first images of Tomsk writing published in Europe by the Swedish captain Stralenberg, who participated in the trip. These images were not an exact copy Tomsk pisanitsa, and conveyed only the most general outlines of the rocks and the placement of drawings on it, but their value lies in the fact that on them you can see drawings that have not survived to this day.

Images of Tomsk writing made by the Swedish boy K. Shulman, who traveled with Stralenberg across Siberia.

For hunters, the main source of subsistence was deer and elk. Gradually, these animals began to acquire mythical features - the elk was the “master of the taiga” along with the bear.
The image of a moose plays the main role in the Tomsk writing: the figures are repeated many times.
The proportions and shapes of the animal’s body are conveyed absolutely correctly: its long massive body, hump on the back, heavy big head, a characteristic protrusion on the forehead, a swollen upper lip, bulging nostrils, thin legs with cloven hooves.
Some drawings show transverse stripes on the neck and body of moose.

On the border between the Sahara and Fezzan, on the territory of Algeria, in a mountainous area called Tassili-Ajjer, bare rocks rise in rows. Nowadays this region is dried up by the desert wind, scorched by the sun and almost nothing grows in it. However, the Sahara used to have green meadows...

- Sharpness and precision of drawing, grace and elegance.
- Harmonious combination of shapes and tones, the beauty of people and animals depicted with a good knowledge of anatomy.
- Swiftness of gestures and movements.

The small plastic arts of the Neolithic, like painting, acquire new subjects.

"The Man Playing the Lute." Marble (from Keros, Cyclades, Greece). Neolithic. National Archaeological Museum. Athens.

The schematism inherent in Neolithic painting, which replaced Paleolithic realism, also penetrated into small plastic art.

Schematic image of a woman. Cave relief. Neolithic. Croisard. Department of the Marne. France.

Relief with a symbolic image from Castelluccio (Sicily). Limestone. OK. 1800-1400 BC National Archaeological Museum. Syracuse.

conclusions

Small plastic:
- New stories appear.
- Greater mastery of execution and mastery of craft and material.

Achievements

Mesolithic
- microliths, bow, canoe

Neolithic
- Early Neolithic
> > Agriculture, cattle breeding
- Late Neolithic
>> ceramics

Chalcolithic (Copper Age)
- metallurgy, horse, wheel

Bronze Age

Bronze was much easier to process than stone; it could be cast into molds and polished. Therefore, in the Bronze Age, all kinds of household items were made, richly decorated with ornaments and having a high artistic value. Ornamental decorations consisted for the most part from circles, spirals, wavy lines and similar motifs. Particular attention was paid to decorations - they were large size and immediately caught my eye.

Megalithic architecture

The term “megalith” comes from the Greek words “megas” - “large”; and "lithos" - "stone".

Megalithic architecture owes its appearance to primitive beliefs. Megalithic architecture is usually divided into several types:
1. A menhir is a single vertical stone, more than two meters high.
On the Brittany Peninsula in France, the so-called fields stretch for kilometers. menhirov. In the language of the Celts, the later inhabitants of the peninsula, the name of these stone pillars several meters high means “long stone”.
2. Trilith is a structure consisting of two vertically placed stones and covered with a third.
3. A dolmen is a structure whose walls are made of huge stone slabs and covered with a roof made of the same monolithic stone block.
Initially, dolmens served for burials.
Trilith can be called the simplest dolmen.
Numerous menhirs, trilithons and dolmens were located in places that were considered sacred.
4. Cromlech is a group of menhirs and trilithes.

Stone grave. South of Ukraine. Anthropomorphic menhirs. Bronze Age.

Stonehenge. Cromlech. England. Bronze Age. 3 – 2 thousand BC Its diameter is 90 m, it consists of stone blocks, each of which weighs approx. 25 tons. It is curious that the mountains from where these stones were delivered are located 280 km from Stonehenge.
It consists of trilithons arranged in a circle, inside a horseshoe of trilithons, in the middle there are blue stones, and in the very center there is a heel stone (on the day of the summer solstice the luminary is exactly above it). It is assumed that Stonehenge was a temple dedicated to the sun.

Age of Iron (Iron Age)

In the steppes of Eastern Europe and Asia, pastoral tribes created the so-called animal style at the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age.

"Deer" plaque. 6th century BC Gold. Hermitage Museum. 35.1x22.5 cm. From the mound in the Kuban region. The relief plate was found attached to a round iron shield in the chief's burial. An example of zoomorphic art ("animal style"). The deer's hooves are made in the form of a "big-beaked bird."
There is nothing accidental or superfluous - a complete, thoughtful composition. Everything in the figure is conditional and extremely truthful and realistic.
The feeling of monumentality is achieved not by size, but by the generality of the form.

Panther. Badge, decoration of a shield. From a mound near the village of Kelermesskaya. Gold. Hermitage Museum.
Age of Iron.
Served as a decoration for the shield. The tail and paws are decorated with figures of curled up predators.

Iron Age

Age of Iron. The balance between realism and stylization is broken in favor of stylization.

Cultural connections with Ancient Greece, countries ancient East and China contributed to the emergence of new stories, images and visual arts V artistic culture tribes of southern Eurasia.

Scenes of a battle between barbarians and Greeks are depicted. Found in the Chertomlyk mound, near Nikopol.

Zaporozhye region Hermitage Museum.

conclusions

Cro-Magnons, who lived on earth 30 thousand years ago, used simple drawings to express their feelings and emotions. But the cave paintings of primitive people cannot be called primitive, since they were created by people with extraordinary artistic talents. Drawings of primitive people in caves are graphic and three-dimensional images, bas-reliefs on the walls. Many such drawings are known today: in France (southwestern part), Spain (northwestern part), Italy, even in Russia, Serbia and England there are single copies.

Rock paintings and pictures of primitive people are unique and most often resemble a two-dimensional image. At the same time, techniques that help convey volume began to be used only during the Renaissance. Rock art is replete with images of rhinoceroses, bison, mammoths, and deer. Also in the drawings there are scenes of hunting, people with arrows and spears are depicted. Occasionally there are drawings of fish, plants, and insects. The colors used to make the drawings do not fade and fully convey their original brightness. It is difficult to imagine a person who has no idea what rock paintings are (photos will help you understand this).

Where did the first people draw?

Hard-to-reach areas of the caves, located hundreds of meters from the surface, were an excellent place for drawing. This is explained primarily by the cult significance of rock carvings, which require the performance of a certain ritual. Drawing was such a ritual. Melted and still hot fat from wild animals, tufts of moss or wool were poured into the bowls. Then the artist began to work in the light of stone lamps.

What are the rock paintings called?

The rock paintings of the ancients are called petroglyphs (Greek - to carve a stone). There are drawings made in the form of symbols or symbols. Pictures contain great amount Valuable information about the life of representatives of the ancient population reveals traditions and historical events that influenced ancient man.

Later drawings were made in the form of symbols or symbols. Man initially sought to express thoughts through signs and writing. Painting brought the onset of this moment closer, becoming a transition period between graphic drawings and writing. The images are called pictograms. For example, on the territory of Armenia, archaeologists discovered designs reminiscent of all known ancient alphabets. The oldest images found here were created more than 9,000 years ago. Prehistoric rock paintings are pictures created by the first people.

Technique and materials

What motivated people to draw? Just the desire to create beauty or the need to perform and capture a special ritual? Making a rock engraving was not so easy, especially if the paint was applied into deep slits, which the ancient painter carved with a rough cutting tool. It could have been a large stone chisel. Such a tool was discovered at the site of the ancient people of Le Roc de Serre. During the middle and Late Paleolithic The technique of performing cave paintings of primitive people is more subtle. The outlines of the engravings were carved several times with shallow lines. Even then, shading and combined painting were used. There are similar images on the tusks and bones of animals that belong to the same period.

Rock paintings, photo in Altamira Cave

Dye primitive man- These are all shades of ocher that were used as a red dye, charcoal and manganese ore. Chalk and bat guano were also used. The future paint was ground using bone or stone. The resulting powder was mixed with animal fat. Ancient people even had prototypes of modern tubes. They stored paints in hollow parts of animal bones, both sides of which were sealed with a hardened lump of the same animal fat. There were no other colors, such as green or blue.

Primitive artists used bones or sharp sticks as brushes, the ends of which were split. They also used pieces of wool that were tied to bones. First we drew the outline and then painted it in. But there are other images as well. For example, a handprint that has been splattered with paint through a reed.

Ancient people had no idea about the composition or proportions of the body. They painted large predators and, against their background, tiny mountain goats. But this did not stop them from creating masterpieces comparable to the modern idea of ​​painting. The accuracy of the representation of objects and animals is amazing, and the drawings of ancient people in caves captured in stone ancient animals that had long since become extinct. Visual effect was enhanced by the fact that the image was applied to a rock ledge.

What did primitive people draw?

The cave paintings of ancient people are a manifestation of emotional and vivid imaginative thinking. Not everyone could create such masterpieces, but only those in whose subconscious visual images arose. Those who were overwhelmed with vivid images transferred them to the plane of the rocks.

There is an assumption that with the help of rock paintings visions were transmitted, a person expressed himself and passed on the life experience he received. But most scientists adhere to the version about cult significance drawings: they were probably created before the hunt. Thus, the person tried to influence the result, to attract the preferred animal during the hunt.

The disappearance of some animals and climate change have led to a serious change in human activity. Now he spent more time raising animals and cultivating the land. There was less time left for hunting. This was also reflected in rock art. The drawings were no longer done deep in the cave, but outside. Images of humans were now becoming more common. Animals that were domesticated were also depicted in cave engravings (fox hunting scenes). Schematic drawings became widespread: triangles, straight or winding lines, a jumble of colored spots.

If earlier hunting scenes were most often depicted, now they also included ritual dances, battles, and grazing. There are many such drawings in Spain.

Where can you see rock art?

In France, in the caves of Lascaux and Chauvet, drawings were discovered that date back to approximately the 18th-15th millennia BC. e. They depict horses, cows, bulls, and bears. In Spain, in the Altamira cave, hunting scenes were depicted by ancient artists so skillfully that if you look at them with a blazing fire, you get the impression of objects moving. In Africa there is a whole complex of caves with rock paintings. These are Laas Gaal in Somaliland and Tassilien Adjer in Algeria. Rock paintings have also been discovered in Egypt (Swimmers Cave), Bulgaria, Bashkiria, Argentina (Cueva de las Manos Cave) and many others.

Objects of art or primitive reflection of reality?

It is impossible to put an equal sign between primitive “art” and modern one. But when considering ancient images, modern art historians rely on familiar formulations, going far beyond the specifics of primitive art. Today in the art world there is an author of a work, and there is a consumer. Ancient artists created their creations only because they had the ability to draw and felt the need to depict the reality around them or significant events. They had no ideas about art or were blurry, but the images that filled their consciousness found a way out into the world through their creator, who, most likely, was considered by their fellow tribesmen to be endowed with supernatural power.

So what is the difference between rock art and ordinary modern art? The only difference is that the first drawings were made by artists of the Paleolithic era, and rock was used as a canvas. Of course, the phenomenon of creativity is associated with the interaction of all spiritual forces and the release in a special way emotions. A person could create something new and important for himself, but the awareness of this phenomenon occurred gradually. The Cro-Magnon man lived in a cultural environment in which there was no division into separate spheres of activity. But the ancient people did not have leisure in our understanding, since their life was not divided into strict work and rest. The time when a person was not fighting for existence, he devoted to performing rituals and other actions important for the well-being of the tribe.

However, the unique paintings are closed to the public in order to protect the fragile “paintings” from damage, which can be caused by the slightest changes in temperature and humidity, as well as light penetration. Even archaeologists are allowed to stay in the cave for only a few hours. One of the lucky ones who managed to admire the oldest example of cave art was the German director Werner Herzog. Together with four assistants, he made a 3D documentary film, “Cave of Forgotten Dreams.” By the way, the film crew had to obtain permission from the French Minister of Culture himself and film in a limited time using equipment that does not emit heat. This film is perhaps the only way to look into the Chauvet Cave.

2. Newspaper Rock, USA

40 km northwest of the city of Monticello in the US state of Utah there is an amazing rock on which one of the most impressive collections of petroglyphs per square meter is concentrated. Due to the abundance of drawings, the stone art panel resembles a newspaper page that can be read.

It was allegedly “printed” by the ancient Indians of the pre-Columbian culture Fremont and Anasazi. Scientists believe that the story told on the “Newspaper Rock” was “carved” both in the prehistoric period and after meeting the Europeans. Judging by the numerous depictions of animals such as bison, wild boars and mammoths, the history of the stone “newspaper” tells of hunting, the domestication of horses and bulls, as well as the invention of the wheel and tools.

In total, Newspaper Rock contains about 650 different images of animals, people and symbols. However, in the ancient “newspaper” it was never possible to find an answer as to why a relatively small site was chosen for so many petroglyphs.

3. Cueva de las Manos, Argentina

Literally, the “Cave of Hands” (from Spanish Cueva de las Manos) has preserved on its stone walls the prints of hundreds of hands, mostly left ones. It is located in the south of Argentina in the province of Santa Cruz (163 km from the city of Perito Moreno) in the valley of the Pinturas River.

Of the approximately 800 cave paintings, more than 90% depict the left palm. Photo by: Marianocekowski.

At first glance, splayed palms look very modern, as if someone sprayed a can of spray paint on a stencil. In fact, the cave paintings were allegedly created between 13,000 and 9,000 years ago. By the way, scientists suggest that this rock “autograph” was left by spraying paint around a palm applied to the wall.

Probably in his right hand the artist held bone tubes for spraying dye. The left one, accordingly, served in kind. Most of the hands are on the entrance stone - as if they are welcoming someone entering a Patagonian cave. There is an opinion that the image of hands meant the transition to adulthood, so the palms of teenage boys are imprinted on the walls of this place revered by the ancestors of the Indians.

In addition to images of hands, the cave contains drawings of animals, such as rhea ostriches and guanacos (a kind of llama), as well as hieroglyphic inscriptions. Photo credit: Joanbanjo.

4. Altamira, Spain

Many call the cave, located in northern Spain, the “Sistine Chapel of primitive art.” Its walls are painted with unique rock “paintings” from the Paleolithic era. The age of the drawings depicted on the walls and ceiling of Altamira (from Spanish “La cueva de Altamira”) is about 20 thousand years.

Because of large flow tourists' drawings began to collapse. To preserve the rock art, Altamira was closed to the public. In 2001V museum complex, located next to the cave, copies of the panels of the Great Plafond were discovered, which can be admired without harming the fragile petroglyphs.

Located 30 km from the city of Santander (Cantabria), it was discovered in 1879 by the Spanish lawyer and amateur archaeologist Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola. More precisely, it is he who is credited with the discovery of rock paintings. Marcelino had explored Altamira before (in 1875), and before him, a local shepherd reported unusual ancient finds (tools, bones, antlers) found in the cave. One fine day, when Sautuola took his 6-year-old daughter Maria with him to the excavations, luck smiled on him. The girl was extremely inquisitive and was the first to see the rock painting of a bison. This is how the world learned about a 270-meter cave, the vaults of which are replete with polychrome images of animals and human palms.

It is noteworthy that ancient artists used charcoal and ocher to add color, and wall relief to add volume. Many scientists questioned the authenticity of the primitive painting and accused Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola of forgery. And only after the death of the discoverer, in 1902, the world recognized the uniqueness of Altamira.

5. Alta, Norway

Petroglyphs found near the Arctic Circle in the city of Alta in the 1970s prove that the area was presumably inhabited by people between 4200 and 500 BC. From them, about five thousand amazing rock paintings remained at 45 archaeological sites.

The largest and only one open to the public is located 4 km from the city of Alta. About 3,000 images, which are located in the open air, have been included in the World Heritage List. By the way, this is the only UNESCO site of the prehistoric period in Norway. Petroglyphs tell how the ancient ancestors of the Scandinavians fished (an image of a fisherman holding a large fish in his hands), hunted (scenes showing how hunters drove herds of deer into the water, where they were more vulnerable, and overtook them with spears) and rested (dance scenes). In addition, many petroglyphs depict religious rituals, such as shamanic rituals with a tambourine.

6. Kalbak-Tash, Russia

The complex of rock compositions Kalbak-Tash (Tyalbak-Tash) is located on the right bank of the Chui River at the 723rd kilometer of the Chuisky tract between the villages of Inya and Iodro. This tract is the largest accumulation of petroglyphs in the Altai Mountains, its length is about 10 km. The Altai gallery contains over 5,000 drawings and runic inscriptions.

Animal motifs - the most popular in Kalbak-Tash. Most often in the tract there are images of bulls, deer, wolves, leopards and other animals common in Altai. Photo by: Zouave M.

Kalbak-Tash was an ancient sanctuary for people of different centuries: from the Neolithic (VI-IV thousand years BC) to the ancient Turkic era (VII-X centuries BC). In addition to Scythian images of animals, people and hunting scenes, the Kalbaktash sanctuary also contains family tamga signs dating back to the ancient Turkic era, as well as ritual scenes depicting shamans with their animal companions, ker-tyutpas, transporting their owners to the underworld.

The Kalbak-Tash tract is part of the Chui-Oozy natural and economic park, a specially protected natural area of ​​the Altai Republic. Photo by: Zouave M.

On December 18, 1994, the famous French speleologist Jean Marie Chauvet discovered a cave gallerycancient images of animals. The discovery was named in honor of its discoverer — Chauvet cave. We decided to talk about the most beautiful caves with rock paintings.

Chauvet Cave

The discovery of the Chauvet Cave in the south of France near the town of Pont d'Arc became a scientific sensation that forced us to reconsider the existing understanding of the art of ancient people: previously it was believed that primitive painting developed in stages. At first, the images were very primitive, and more than one thousand years had to pass for the drawings on the walls of the caves to reach their perfection. Chauvet's find suggests the opposite: the age of some images is 30-33 thousand years, which means that our ancestors learned to draw even before moving to Europe. The discovered rock art represents one of the oldest examples of cave art in the world, in particular, the drawing of black rhinoceroses from Chauvet is still considered the most ancient. The south of France is rich in such caves, but none of them can compare with the Chauvet Cave either in size, or in the preservation and skill of the drawings. Mostly animals are depicted on the walls of the cave: panthers, horses, deer, as well as woolly rhinoceros, tarpan, cave lion and other animals of the Ice Age. In total, images of 13 different species of animals were found in the cave.
Now the cave is closed to tourists, as changes in air humidity can damage the images. Archaeologists can only work in a cave for a few hours a day. Today, the Chauvet Cave is a national treasure of France.

Caves of Nerja

The Caves of Nerja are an amazingly beautiful series of huge caves near the city of Nerja in Andalusia, Spain. They received the nickname "Prehistoric Cathedral". They were discovered by accident in 1959. They are one of the main attractions of Spain. Some of their galleries are open to the public, and one of them, which forms a natural amphitheater and has excellent acoustics, even hosts concerts. In addition to the world's largest stalagmite, several mysterious drawings were discovered in the cave. Experts believe that seals or fur seals are depicted on the walls. Fragments of charcoal were found near the drawings, the radiocarbon dating of which gave an age between 43,500 and 42,300 years. If experts prove that the images were made with this charcoal, the seals of the Nerja Cave will turn out to be significantly older than the cave paintings from the Chauvet Cave. This will once again confirm the assumption that Neanderthals had the ability to creative imagination no less than that of Homo sapiens.

Kapova Cave (Shulgan-Tash)

This karst cave was found in Bashkiria, on the Belaya River, in the area of ​​which the Shulgan-Tash nature reserve is now located. This is one of the longest caves in the Urals. Cave paintings of ancient people from the Late Paleolithic era, the likes of which can only be found in very limited places in Europe, were discovered in Kapova Cave in 1959. Images of mammoths, horses and other animals are made mainly with ocher, a natural pigment based on animal fat, their age is about 18 thousand years. There are several charcoal drawings. In addition to animals, there are images of triangles, stairs, and oblique lines. The most ancient drawings, dating back to the early Paleolithic, are in the upper tier. On the lower tier of the Kapova Cave there are later images of the Ice Age. The drawings are also notable for the fact that human figures are shown without the realism inherent in the animals depicted. Researchers suggest that the images were made in order to appease the “gods of the hunt.” In addition, cave paintings are designed to be perceived not from one specific point, but from several angles of view. To preserve the drawings, the cave was closed to the public in 2012, but an interactive kiosk was installed in the museum on the territory of the reserve for everyone to look at the drawings virtually.

Cueva de las Manos cave

Cueva de las Manos (“Cave of Many Hands”) is located in Argentina, in the province of Santa Cruz. Cueva de las Manos became world famous in 1964 thanks to the research of archeology professor Carlos Gradin, who discovered many wall paintings and human handprints in the cave, the oldest of which date back to the 9th millennium BC. e. More than 800 prints, overlapping each other, form a multi-colored mosaic. So far, scientists have not come to a consensus about the meaning of the images of hands, from which the cave got its name. Mostly left hands were captured: out of 829 prints, only 36 were right hands. Moreover, according to some researchers, the hands belong to teenage boys. Most likely, drawing an image of one’s hand was part of the initiation rite. In addition, scientists have built a theory about how such clear and clear handprints were obtained: apparently, a special composition was taken into the mouth and forcefully blown through a tube onto a hand attached to the wall. In addition to handprints, on the walls of the cave there are depictions of people, rhea ostriches, guanacos, cats, geometric figures with ornaments, hunting processes (the drawings show the use of bolas, a traditional throwing weapon of the Indians of South America) and observations of the sun. In 1999, the cave was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.