Humanties Time Capsule:
Phrehistoric Paintings
There’s always a sense of nostalgia when looking at relics of the past; one that is a longing and touching connection to document our lives and to tell our stories. Humanity first left its mark on the world with rock art, which takes the form of pictographs or petroglyphs. Pictographs are images painted on stone, while petroglyphs are carvings. Rock art can be seen as the oldest universal form of cultural heritage; something that is dated so long ago, yet is a foundation of our very being and evolution as a society.
Rock art can date back to more than 64,000 years ago. However in more recent times, some of the “oldest” pieces of rock art in countries such as Australia can date back to 17,300 years ago, one of them being a large cave painting of a kangaroo. Animals were the majority of images of rock art in caves from all periods of time, although birds and fish are rarely seen, quite possibly due to other animals being easier to hunt and observe. It’s prevalent that rock art can be considered as a precursor to infographics as well, as it can be seen as a form of communication or marking.
(Peter Veth and the Balanggarra Aboriginal Corporation, Illustration: Pauline Heaney).
Reaching from the Past:
Compelling Connections
Older than 64,000 years and made by Neanderthals.
I find images such as these extremely compelling. To see an image like this, let alone to see it in person, is moving and radiates a sense of wonder. These people were born more than a millennia before me; they may be gone from this world, but the marks they had left still remain for future generations to see. Back in a time where nature was truly flourishing, they took iron oxides and charcoal from the earth to create their pigments. It’s astonishing to see rock art as a form of visual communication as well—from marking territories to noting wild game that are now long extinct, and symbols of good fortune to storytelling.
(Note: As a dog owner, I never knew I needed to see this. I find this rock art so intriguing and heartwarming. It seems like “Man’s best friend” is written in stone!)
Works Cited
“Cave Art.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/art/cave-painting. Accessed 04 Oct. 2021.
Bednarik, Robert G. “Rock Art.” Encyclopedia of Archaeology, edited by Deborah M. Pearsall, Elsevier Science & Technology, 1st edition, 2008. Credo Reference, https://ezproxy.capilanou.ca/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/estarch/rock_art/0?institutionId=6884. Accessed 04 Oct. 2021.
“Rock Art: Encyclopedia of Archaeology – Credo Reference.” ROCK ART | Encyclopedia of Archaeology – Credo Reference, https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/estarch/rock_art/0. Accessed 04 Oct. 2021.