Who painted rock paintings. What and how the primitive man drew

Interesting and picturesque messages from the past - drawings on the walls of the caves, the age of which is up to 40 thousand years - enchant modern people with their conciseness.

What were they for people of antiquity? If they served only to decorate the walls, then why they were performed in remote corners of the caves, in those places where, most likely, did not live?

The most ancient figures found about 40 thousand years ago, others were under several tens of thousands of years. Interestingly, in different parts of the world, the image on the walls of the caves is very similar - in those days, people portrayed mainly unfortunate and other animals that were distributed in their locality.

The image of the hands was also popular: the community members put the palms to the wall and outlined them. Such pictures are really inspired by: pressing the palm to such an image, a person may feel like formed a bridge between modern civilization and antiquity!

Below we offer you interesting images made by ancient people from different parts of light on the walls of the caves.

Lime Cave Pettanere, Indonesia

Cave Pettanere 12 kilometers from the city of Marosh. At the entrance to the cave on the ceiling there are white and red hand contours - only 26 images. The age of drawings is about 35 thousand years. Photo: Cahyo Ramadhani / Wikipedia.org

Cave Shaw, South France

Images, the age of which is about 32-34 thousand years, are located on the walls of the limestone cave near the city of Walon-Pont-D-D-D-ARC. Total in the cave, which was opened only in 1994, there are 300 drawings that are striking with their painting.

One of the most famous images from the sew cave. Photo: Jeff Pachoud / AFP / Getty Images

Photo: Jeff Pachoud / AFP / Getty Images

Photo: Jeff Pachoud / AFP / Getty Images

Photo: Jeff Pachoud / AFP / Getty Images

Photo: Jeff Pachoud / AFP / Getty Images

Cave El Castillo, Spain

El Castillo contains one of the most ancient samples of cave painting in the world. The age of images is at least 40,800 years.

Photo: cuevas.culturadecantabria.com.

Cave Kovalanas, Spain

The unique cave Kovalanas inhabited people less than 45 thousand years ago!

Photo: cuevas.culturadecantabria.com.

Photo: cuevas.culturadecantabria.com.

Walls of caves located near Kovalanas and El Castillo are also decorated with numerous drawings made by people thousands of years ago. However, these caves are not so known. Among them - Las Mondas, El Pando, Chofin, Oman De La Foam, Kulalver.

Cave lacco, france

The LASC Cave complex in the south-west of France accidentally opened a local resident in 1940, a 18-year-old guy named Marcel Ravid. A huge number of pictures on the walls that are surprisingly preserved, give this complex the caves right to qualify for the title of one of the biggest galleries of the ancient world. The age of images is about 17.3 thousand years.

1. Cave Shaw, France When exactly 19 years ago, Jean Marie Shaw went down to the Pond Gorge "Ark, that in the French department Ardash, he did not suspect that from this day his name will go down in history. It was in honor of the French speleologist Gallery with the on-hand drawings was chosen (FR. Chauvet-Pont-D "Arc Cave). Photo by Thomas T. I discovered it by chance - the lantern wall illuminated by the wall, Jean Marie stumbled upon a ocher stain. Looking around, he saw that it was "spot" - an image of a mammoth. In addition to him, more than 300 ancient drawings were discovered in the cave. Among them were horses, lions, rhinos, wolves, bison ... With the help of the method of radiocarbon dating, scientists managed to establish the estimated age of the rocky "zoo". So, the age of some drawings has 30-33 thousand years! It is no secret that the south of France is famous for the caves with petroglyphs (for example, the cave of Lasco, Cro-Manon, Troua-Friere, the background de-Gom), but the Shaw Gallery exceeds them and in size and safe. Photo by: Eol Learning and Education Group However, unique paintings are closed to visit in order to save fragile "paintings" from damage to which the slightest changes in temperature and humidity can lead to the penetration of light. Even archaeologists are allowed to be in the cave just a few hours. One of the lucky ones, who managed to admire the oldest samples of cave art, became the German director Werner Herzog. Together with four assistants, he filmed a documentary in the format of a 3D "Cave of Forgotten Dreams". By the way, the filmmaker had to receive permission from the Minister of Culture of France and to shoot at a limited time using technology that does not radiate heat. This film is perhaps the only way to look into the seam cave. 2. Newspieper Rock, USA 40 km north-west of Monticello in the US state of Utah, there is an amazing rock, which concentrated one of the most impressive collections of petroglyphs per square meter. Because of the abundance of the drawings, the stone art panel resembles a bandwidth that can be read. Photo by Nick Taylor "Printed" her allegedly ancient Indians of the Premont and Anasazi. Scientists believe that told on the "newsstand" (from the English. Newspaper Rock) The story "was fighting" both in the prehistoric period and after acquaintance with the Europeans. Judging by numerous images of animals, such as bridges, boars and mammoths, the story of the stone "newspaper" tells about the hunt, taking horses and bulls, as well as the invention of the wheels and instruments of labor. Author photo: Cacophony In total, about 650 different images of animals, people and symbols are numbered on the Newspieper-Rock. However, in the ancient "newspaper" it was not possible to find an answer, why for such a large number of petroglyphs was chosen a relatively small platform. Author photo:Jirka Matousek. 3. Cueva de Las Manos, Argentina The literal "hand cave" (from the Spanish Cueva de Las Manos) has retained on its stone walls of prints of hundreds of hands, and, mostly left. 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. Approximately from 800 rock drawings, more than 90% depict the left palm. Photo by marianocecowski. At first glance, the palm with estimated fingers look very modern, as if someone sprayed a spray with paint about stencil. In fact, the rock paintings were created presumably from 13,000 to 9,000 years ago. By the way, scientists suggest that this creamer "autograph" was left by spraying the paint around the palm attached to the wall. Photo by: Carlos Zito Probably, in his right hand, the artist kept bone tubes to splash the dye. Left, respectively, served in kind. Most of all the hands are located on the entrance stone - as if they welcome the woven in the Patagonian cave. It is believed that the image of the hands meant the transition to adulthood, so on the walls of this the ancestors of the Indians the places are printed the palms of teenage boys. In addition to the images of hands in the cave, animal drawings are found, such as Ostrich-Nanda and Guanako (genus Lam), as well as hieroglyphic inscriptions. Photo by joanbanjo. 4. Altamira, Spain Many people call the cave located in the north of Spain, the Sistine Chapel of Primitive Art. Her walls are painted by unique squeezing "paintings" of the Paleolithic era. The age of Altamira depicted on the walls and ceiling (with Isp. La Cueva de Altamira) drawings numbers about 20 thousand years. Due to the large stream of tourists, the drawings began to collapse. To save rock painting, Altamira was closed for visiting. In 2001in the museum complex, located next to the cave, copies of the Panel of Big Plafon were opened, which can be admired without harming the fragile petroglyphs. Located 30 km from the city of Santander (Cantabria), it was opened in 1879 by the Spanish lawyer and an amateur archaeologist Minestino Sans de Sautola. Rather, it is him attributing to the opening of rock paintings. Minestino investigated Altamira before (in 1875), and before him about unusual ancient finds (tools, bones, horns), found in the cave, notified the local shepherd. One day, when Soutouol took a 6-year-old daughter Maria on the excavation, he smiled good luck. The girl was extremely inquisitive and the first saw the rocky picture of the bison. So the world found out about the 270-meter cave, the arches of which are filled with polychrome images of animals and human palms. Photo by Rameessos It is noteworthy that for giving the color ancient artists used coal and ocher, and to give the volume - the relief of the walls. The authenticity of primitive painting Many scientists questioned and accused Minestino Sans de Sautola in a forgiveness. And only after the death of the discoverer, in 1902 the world recognized the uniqueness of Altamira. Photo by José-Manuel Benito 5. Alta, Norway Petroglyphs found near the Northern Polar Circle in the city of Alta in the 1970s prove that it is presumably in a period of 4,200-500 years BC. This area was populated by people. They remained about five thousand delicious rock paintings on 45 archaeological sites. Photo by: ahnjo The largest and only open for visits is located 4 km from the city of Alta. About 3000 images that are open-air have been listed on the World Heritage List. By the way, this is the only monument to UNESCO prehistoric period in Norway. Petroglyphs tell about how the ancient ancestors of the Scandinavians were fishing (the image of a fisherman holding a big fish in her hands), hunted (scenes that show how hunters were driven by herd of deer into the water, where they were more vulnerable, and overtake them with spears) and rested (dance plots). In addition, many petroglyphs depict religious rituals, such as shaman rites with tambourine. Photo by: Jerzy Durczak 6. Kalbak-Tash, Russia Kalbak-Tash (Talbak-Tash) is located on the right bank of the Chii River at the 723rd kilometer of the Chui tract between the villages of Inya and Iodro. This tract is the largest cluster of petroglyphs in the Altai, its length is about 10 km. In the Altai gallery there are over 5,000 drawings and runenic inscriptions. Animals motifs - the most popular in Kalbak-Tasha. Most often, images of bulls, deer, wolves, bans and other animals common in Altai are found in the tract. Photo by Zouave M. Kalbak-Tash was an ancient sanctuary for people of different centuries: from Neolithic (VI-IV thousand years BC) to the ancient Turkic era (VII-X centuries. BC). In addition to the Scythian Images of Animals, People and Scenes of Hunt, in the Kalbaktaschsky sanctuary there are also generic signs Tamga, belonging to the ancient Turkic era, as well as ritual plots depicting shamans with their animal satellites Ker-Tyutpa, carrying owners in the underground world. The Kalbak-Tash's tract is part of the Chui-Oozia natural and economic park - the particularly protected natural territory of the Republic of Altai. Photo by Zouave M.

") Drew images of animals on which they hunted. They are the first of the people to draw, using paints, although, probably, long before painted their bodies with an unwrapped breed of red, so-called okra.

Apparently, Crohanyonians used these drawings in rules. They believed that the drawings would protect from evil forces and will help during the hunt, the success of their existence depended. There are still no drawings made by more ancient people. Perhaps they painted or scratched something sharp on pieces of wood, which have long been rotten.

Cryanonians painted horses, bison and deer. Often, images of copies are also found in the drawings, which was due to the artist's plan, bring good luck during the real hunt.

One of the Kromanon artists put her hand to the rock, and then poured around her paint through the cane. The image of people or plants occur in the early drawings extremely rare.

An image of a woolly mammoth, carved on the wall of the cave, is clearly visible to its long-sided wool. Skatal painting often shows us what prehistoric animals looked like.

Cryanonians carved on the stone of very thick or pregnant women on the stone. They also laid statuettes from clay, after which they burned them on fire. Probably primitive people believed that such figures would bring them good luck.

Cave drawings

Circle painting

You will need a gypsum, a box of a large match box, a twine, adhesive tape and paint.

Take the segment of the twine 6 cm long and fold it in half so that it turns out the loop. Attach this loop with adhesive ribbon to the bottom of the boxes on the inside.

Mix the plaster with so that there is a root solution, and pour it into the box, there should be a layer with a thickness of approximately 3 cm. Give the gypsum to harden, then drip the box from it.

Redraw on this piece of gypsum one of the rock paintings on this page. Then color it using the same paints as the caveman: red, yellow, brown and black.

You can also reproduce and carved image of the animal. Transfer the mammoth contour shown on this page to a piece of gypsum. Then the old fork will sell lines in the gypsum over the entire contour.

The desire of a person to capture the world around the world, the events, inspireing fear, hope to be successful in hunting, life, fighting other tribes, nature, demonstrated in drawings. Find them all over the world from South America to Siberia. The rock painting of primitive people is also called cave, as the mountain, underground shelters were often used as asylum, reliably covering from bad weather and predators. In Russia, they are called "writers". Scientific name of drawings - Petroglyphs. Scientists after opening sometimes paint them for better visibility, preservation.

Themes of rock painting

Drawings, carved on the walls of the caves, open, vertical surfaces of rocks, separate stones, painted by coal from the fire, chalk, mineral or vegetable substances, are essentially representing art objects - engraving, paintings of ancient people. Usually they are depicted on them:

1. Figures of large animals (mammoths, elephants, bulls, deer, bison), birds, fish that were desired prey, as well as dangerous predators - bears, lions, wolves, crocodiles.
2. Scenes of hunting, dances, sacrifices, war, boating, fishing.
3. Images of pregnant women, leaders, shamans in ritual clothes, spirits, deities, other mythical creatures, sometimes attributed to the sensation lovers to aliens.

These paintings gave a lot of scientists to understand the history of the development of society, the animal world, the climate change over thousands of years, because early petroglyphs belong to the epochs of the late Paleolithic, neolithic, and later to the bronze age. For example, it was determined periods of domestication of buffalo, wild bull, horse, camel in animal use by man. Unexpected discoveries were confirmed by the facts of the existence of bison in Spain, woolly rhinos in Siberia, prehistoric animals on the Great Plain, representing a huge desert today, - Central Sahara.

History opening

Often, this discovery is attributed to the Spanish archaeologist-fans of Minestino de Sautolo, who found in the late XIX century magnificent drawings in the cave of Altamira in his homeland. There, rocking painting, applied by coal and ocra, available from primitive people, was so good that for a long time was considered a fake and a hoax.

In fact, such drawings by that time were known for a long time worldwide, except for Antarctica. So, the rocky writers on the shores of the Siberia rivers, the Far East are known since the XVII century and are described by famous travelers: scientists spamina, Stallenberg, Miller. Therefore, the find in the cave of Altamira and the furious noise for this is just an example of a successful, albeit unintentional, propaganda in the scientific world.

Famous drawings

Art galleries, "Photo exhibitions" of ancient people, affecting the imagination with a plot, a variety, quality of working out of details:

1. Cave Magura (Bulgaria). Animals, hunters, ritual dancing are depicted.
2. Kueva de Las Manos (Argentina). In the "hand cave" depicted the left hands of the ancient inhabitants of this place, the scenes of hunting, painted in red and white-black colors.
3. Bhimbet (India). Here, people, horses, crocodiles, tigers and lions mixed here.
4. Serra da Kapivara (Brazil). In a variety of caves, hunting, scenes of rituals are depicted. The oldest drawings of at least 25 thousand years.
5. Lasa Gal (Somalia) - cows, dogs, giraffes, people in ceremonial clothes.
6. Cave Shaw (France). Opened in 1994. The age of some drawings, including mammoths, lions, rhinos, about 32 thousand years.
7. Cockada National Park (Australia) with images made by the ancient aborigines of the mainland.
8. Newsspieper Rock (USA, Utah). The heritage of the Indians, with an unusually high concentration of drawings on a flat rocky rock.

Skatal painting in Russia has a geography from the White Sea to the shores of Amur, Ussuri. Here are some of them:

1. White Sea Petroglyphs (Karelia). More than 2 thousand drawings - hunting, battle, ritual processions, skiing.
2. Shishkinsky writings on the rocks in the upper reaches of the Lena River (Irkutsk region). More than 3 thousand different drawings are described in the middle of the 20th century by academician salary. It leads a convenient trail. Although the rise is prohibited there, but those who want to see the drawings near it does not stop.
3. Petroglyphs of Sikachi-Alyana (Khabarovsk Territory). At this place was the ancient overseas cable. In the drawings - scenes of fishing, hunting, shaman masks.

It must be said that the pictures of primitive people in different places are significantly different in preservation, plot scenes, the quality of execution by ancient authors. But to see them at least, and if you're lucky in reality, it's like looking into the distant past.

September 12, 1940 Four French teenagers accidentally stumbled upon a narrow hole, formed after the fall of the pine, in which zipper got. They decided that this is a way out of the underground move, leading to nearby the ruins of the castle, and hoped to find treasure there. But when they got inside and saw huge drawings on the walls, they realized that it was not just an underground move, and reported their find to the teacher. So the cave shop was opened.

All walls of the cave were completely covered with amazing pictures of animals - bulls, bison, rhinos, horses, deer, even the unicorn, painted with chroas, soot and mergel (rock, like clay) and circled dark contours. Part of the drawings were real size!
Scientist A. Breill held several months in this cave, making all sorts of measurements and studying primitive painting. At first, art historians doubted the authenticity of the drawings, but a thorough examination rejected all kinds of suspicions in the fake, and the age of images was estimated at 15 thousand years.

Very soon, a lot of tourists began to come to the cave of LASC and soon scientists noticed that the drawings begin to slowly destroy. This happened due to excess carbonic gas, which people who visited the caves extended. Soon, tourists stopped at the cave of LASC, and it was installed, and her copy was created next to her - Lasco II. It is a concrete structure, within which the shaded image of the selected parts of the LASCO has accumulated accurately.

We really liked the axes that you can make a virtual tour of the cave on the official website. In some places you can stop, closer the drawing, consider it and read a small text about it (there is no Russian on the site, but there is English). Here is the site: http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/#/en/02_00.xml

Figures of animals are drawn mainly in the profile, in motion. Interestingly, when several animals, different sizes and different colors accumulate in one scene, and at the same time drawn so that one figure is overlayed to another, then a cartoon sensation is created if you move the window on the site. Probably, the effect will be the same if you move next to these pictures with a lantern in your hands, it is a pity that we cannot check :)

On the walls of the cave, there is one single image of a person: here you can see four figures, combined into one composite space - pierced by a spear broom, lying man, little bird and fuzzy silhouette of a removing rhinoceros. Bison is in the profile, but his head is turned to the viewer. Man is shown schematically as in children's drawings. Everything is painted with a fat black line and not filled with color. Scientists are still arguing that it is depicted in this picture: the bison killed a man, and the journey struck the bison mortal wound? Or is the other way around?

I showed the ax that was the same picture and described that the colors then were mineral. The basis of ferrous paint was a manganese, and red - iron oxide. The pieces of minerals were triturated into powder on stone plates, or on the bones of animals, for example - on the blade of the bison. This colored powder was stored in the wounded bones or leather bags that were worn on the belt.

This picture shows the image of a huge bull. The figure of the right bull is the largest rock painting in the world, its length is 5.2 meters.
To be clearer what is five meters, we first measured this distance in the apartment and estimated how much a bull was.

Interestingly, in the cave LASC is an image of a mythical animal - a unicorn:

But this big black bull, a length of 3.71 meters, is interesting because it was rascated paint sprayed through a special tube:

What can be done if the child was interested in these drawings:

- You can take crafting paper, it's necessary to remember it (we did not immediately have guessed it, but when we got a crumpled piece of wrapping paper, the axis himself noticed that it turns out the texture and the surface resembles the surface of the stone) and hang on the wall to draw me on it Figures of coal, santhan or multi-colored pastel. And you can paint if the child does not want to put his hands. The main thing, do not forget to store the floor around.

And you can make natural paints - from clay and berries, and paint animals. And then separately make the contour.

And you can also try to draw homemade brushes. Offer a child a small wand, a little herb / stems of flowers and thread. Will he guess what could be done with them? And if you cut off the top layer from the sponge for washing the dishes, then you can play that it is an animal skiing, which ancient people used to paint the large pattern of the pattern. Let's try?

To draw drawings, you can simply settle on the table or on the floor, and you can imagine that we are in the cave and draw on its walls and vaults. Once, when we played in primitive people, we pasted the place under the table with paper, and the axis left the rock paints, lying on the back.

This time we smeared the drawings under the desk, then the axis took the entrance to the "cave" with pillows from the sofa, and we played as if we were walking and suddenly find such a treasure - a cave with the cave ancient pictures. In the evening, when it was already dark, we redeemed the light and climbed into the cave with lanterns and candles and viewed images on the walls.