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Evidence for cave marking by Palaeolithic children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Kevin Sharpe  and
Leslie Van Gelder
Kevin Sharpe
Affiliation:
1Graduate College, Union Institute & University, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford, UK; 10 Shirelake Close, Oxford OX1 1SN, UK (Email: [email protected])
Leslie Van Gelder
Affiliation:
2Walden University, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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Extract

Amongst the numerous images found on the walls of Palaeolithic caves, fluted lines, made by fingers dragged through a skin of wet clay remain some of the most intriguing. In their study of images at Rouffignac, the authors undertook experiments with a range of modern subjects who replicated the flutings with their hands. Comparing the dimensions of the experimental flutings with the originals, they conclude that the patterns on the roof of Chamber A1 at Rouffignac were made by the fingers of children aged between 2 and 5 years old. Given the current height of the chamber, such children would have needed to be hoisted aloft by adults. Who knows what lessons in art or ritual were thereby imparted to the young persons…

Keywords

Palaeolithiccave artfinger flutingsRouffignac Cave
Type
Method
Information
Antiquity , Volume 80 , Issue 310 , 1 December 2006 , pp. 937 - 947
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 2006

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