OLDEST PETROGLYPHS SO FAR?

100,000-year-old engraved

ocher, Blombos Cave, South

Africa. sciencemag.org.

Public domain.

What might indeed be the oldest date for a petroglyph so far has been found on a block of ocher dated to approximately 100,000 years BP. This discovery came from Blombos Cave in South Africa. Other ocher blocks in Blombos have been given dates of 77,000 years of age. These discoveries consist of pieces of ocher that have engraved lines or cross-hatching on them and they have engendered considerable debate on the origins of symbols and their meaning.

77,000-year-old engraved

ocher, Blombos Cave, South

Africa. smithsonian.org.

Public domain.

All students of this question seem to share the assumption that the ocher was ground to make a pigment powder that can be mixed into paint for other use. What the current debate seems to be about is whether the designs on the ocher have any symbolic significance or whether they were perhaps only doodles.

100,000-year-old engraved

ocher, Blombos Cave, South

Africa. sciencemag.org.

Public domain.

"About 100,000 years ago, ancient humans started etching lines and hashtag patterns onto red rocks in a South African cave. Such handiwork has been cited as the first sign our species could make symbols—distinct marks that stand for some meaning—and thus evidence of a sophisticated mind. But a new study, reported here this week at Evolang, a biannual conference on the evolution of language, finds that these markings and others like them lack key characteristics of symbols. Instead, they may have been more for decoration or enjoyment." (Erard 2018)

Checkered gunstock,

www.cs.uwyo.edu,

Public domain.

While either of these explanations is equally good, and probably equally unprovable, they do not cover all of the possibilities. Were I tasked with grinding a quantity of powdered pigment from small pieces of ocher, I imagine that one of my concerns would involve having a secure grip. In many other applications that involve manipulating a small object that secure grip is achieved by modifying the surface with knurling or checkering. What if these patterns of lines incised into the surface of the ocher represent checkering and have no symbolic or decorative  significance at all? Or, to phrase that in another way, instead of having symbolic or decorative significance, perhaps they just represent an engineering solution to the problem of securely holding a small object. Now, I will admit that they look like decoration to me, but that does not mean that they are not also meant to assist with a secure grip. The checkering on the wooden stock of a rifle is meant to be decorative as well as help provide a secure grip. Possibly they represent the first example of knurling or checkering, the first known manifestation of engineering - not art, and that, in its own way, is just as exciting.

NOTE: Some images in this posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will contact me with them. For further information on this report you should read the original at the site listed below.

REFERENCES:

Erard, Michael

2018 Is This 100,000-Year-Old Hashtag the First Humanmade Symbol - or Just a Pretty Decoration?, April 20, 2018, http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/04/100000-year-old-hashtag-first-human-symbol-or-just-

pretty-decoration

A POSSIBLE RIO GRANDE GORGE METEOR PETROGLYPH:

Petroglyph panel, on the Trail to

Manby Hot Springs, Rio Grande

Gorge, outside of Taos, New Mexico.

Photograph Jerry Hansen.

Arrow pointing out possible

meteor symbol.

I have, on a number of past occasions, speculated on the subject of meteor portrayals in rock art. On May 6, 2009, I posted "When The Stars Fell." On January 18, 2013, I posted "Meteorites." On February 16, 2013, I posted "Meteorites In Rock Art - Continued?" And, on January 17, 2015, I posted "Meteorites In Rock Art - A Possible Portrayal." In these, I made the assumption that something as impressive as a major meteor storm or meteor fall would have been recorded in rock art. Indeed, there are such records in other mediums such as winter counts, so why not in rock art. Now, I have received photos from Jerry Hansen in New Mexico, in the Rio Grande River Gorge southwest of Arroyo Hondo that he suggests as a possible meteor portrayal.

Hansen's interpretation of the

Rio Grande Panel.

Photograph Jerry Hansen.

Tiwa/Tewa Constellations and

Stars. Dorcas, 1997. 

I have not visited this site myself so I know nothing about it directly, but if the location is correct we may be able to deduce some things about it. First, from the location I am assuming that these petroglyphs were probably made by the northern Tiwa or the Tewa speaking Pueblos of the North Rio Grande area. Second, if that symbol does indeed represent a meteorite, the other petroglyphs on the panel likely represent a sky chart showing the constellations of the Tewa or Tiwa people that the meteorite appeared in. Miller (1997) lists many different names for these constellations (and asterisms). Pretty much each group uses a different name for many of them. One that most of the people agree on, however, is Turkey Track, and that appears in the left side of the panel. The other figures on the panel may or may not represent Tiwa/Tewa constellations, but if some correlations could be made here then the possibility that the image in question represents a meteorite would be fairly strong.

So, where do we go from here? Perhaps some anthropology student searching for a thesis project would like to take over and dig into this.

REFERENCE:

Miller, Dorcas S.

1997 Stars of the First People: Native American Star Myths and Constellations, Pruett Publishing, Boulder, Colorado.

ANOTHER SUPPOSED STAR MAP PAINTED IN LASCAUX CAVE, FRANCE - THE SUMMER TRIANGLE:

Dying Man panel, Lascaux Cave,

France. Public Domain.

Another supposed star map painted in Lascaux Cave, France, is found at the bottom of the shaft in Lascaux Cave. It is the panel known as the "Dying Man." On April 28, 2009, I wrote here in RockArtBlog WHY DO WE BELIEVE THIS? #2, THE DYING MAN IN LASCAUX CAVE. Then on July 9, 2011, I wrote THE "S-WORD", SHAMANISM - OR, THE DYING MAN IN LASCAUX REVISITED. In both of these I discussed possible meanings of that enigmatic painted panel. At the time I wrote these I had not run across the theories of Dr. Michael Rappenglueck. Not only has Dr. Rappenglueck identified the great bull panel of Lascaux as a star map of the Pleiades and Taurus, the Dying Man panel has been identified as a representation of the asterism known as the Summer Triangle.

I wrote about my doubts in Rappengluck's identification of the bull panel as the constellation Taurus on August 4, 2018, in my column titled ARE LASCAUX CAVE PAINTINGS ENCODED PALEOLITHIC STAR CHARTS? This week I am expressing even more doubt with the identification of the Dying Man panel.

Summer Triangle outlined,

Dying Man panel, Lascaux

Cave, France. treeofvisions.

files.wordpress.com.

Public Domain.

"According to Dr. Rappengluck, these outlines form a map of the sky with the eyes of the bull, birdman, and bird representing the three prominent stars Vega, Deneb, and Altair. Together these stars are popularly known as the Summer Triangle and are among the brightest objects that can be picked out high overhead during the middle months of the northern summer. Around 17,000 years ago, this region of sky would never have set below the horizon and would have been especially prominent at the start of spring. "It is a map of the prehistoric cosmos," Dr. Rappengluck told BBC News Online. "It was their sky, full of animals and spirit guides."" (Whitehouse 2000)

Summer Triangle star chart,

ualr.ed, Public Domain.

This identification is even shakier than the previous one because he cannot point to the subject matter to say that it supports his identification. He is merely adopting three features of the panel and declaring that they represent the Summer Triangle, but at least that gets around my argument that we cannot know whether Paleolithic peoples of Europe recognized constellations as animals in the sky, and even if they did we cannot know what animals they believed they saw.

Summer Triangle.

wikimedia.org,

Public Domain.

I still am not convinced that the people would have gone deep underground to paint star charts when all they had to do to see them was look up at night. I get the "secret knowledge" argument, I just don't agree with it.

And why their eyes, why not their assholes. OK, I'll admit that the spacing is different and that is even less likely, but I think you ought to get my point. Rappenglueck is basing this designation on way too many assumptions, with no proof for any of them. And if there is anything we don't need in the study of rock art it is these wild theories with no proof backing them. The next thing we know someone will come out with theories of rock art being produced by ancient aliens. Wait a minute, that has already been done too.

NOTE: Some images in this posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will contact me with them. For further information on this report you should read the original at the site listed below.

REFERENCE:

Whitehouse, David

2000 Ice Age Star Map Discovered, 9 August 2000, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/he/science/nature/871930.stm

ARE LASCAUX CAVE PAINTINGS ENCODED PALEOLITHIC STAR CHARTS?

                   

Lascaux Cave, France, showing the

supposed star chart panel of Taurus

the Bull, www.twiggietruth.com,

Public Domain. 

Another shaky theory has come to my attention recently. It is a reincarnation of the idea that the paintings in Lascaux cave contain encoded star charts.

"In recent years, new research has suggested that the Lascaux paintings may incorporate prehistoric star charts. Dr. Michael Rappengluck of the University of Munich argued that some of the non-figurative dot clusters and dots within some of the figurative images correlate with the constellations of Taurus, The Pleiades and the grouping known as the summer triangle." (ancient-wisdom.com)

Lascaux Cave, France, showing the

supposed star chart panel of Taurus

the Bull, clarensnews.co.za,

Public Domain.

"Near to the entrance of the Lascaux cave complex is a magnificent painting of a bull. Hanging over its shoulder is what appears (to us) to be a map of the Pleiades, the cluster of stars sometimes called the Seven Sisters. Inside the bull painting, there are also indications of spots that may be a representation of other stars found in that region of the sky. Today, this region forms part of the constellation of Taurus the bull, with the remarkable suggestion of a direct transfer of information for over 17,000 years." (ancient-wisdom.com)

Lascaux Cave, France, showing the

supposed star chart panel of Taurus

the Bull, truth-zone.net,

Public Domain.

My first problem with this idea is that we have no idea whether people at this stage of cultural development had the concept of the stars making pictures of large animals in the sky (I am not saying they didn't, I am just saying we don't know either way). Although Rappengluck might assume it, there is no proof. We do know that many thousands of years later the Sumerians had that concept, they left us written records, we just do not know how much farther back it went.

"The history of astronomy - begins with the Sumerians who developed the earliest writing system - known as cuneiform - around 3500-3200 BC. The Sumerians developed a form of astronomy that had an important influence on the sophisticated astronomy of the Babylonians. Babylonian astronomy focused on a select group of stars and constellations known as ziqpu stars. During the 8th and 7th centuries BC, Babylonian astronomers developed a new empirical approach to astronomy. They began studying philosophy dealing with the ideal nature of the universe and began employing an internal logic within their predictive planetary systems." (wikipedia)

Lascaux Cave, France, showing the

supposed star chart panel of Taurus

the Bull, thehiddenrecords.com,

Public Domain.

My second problem with this idea is the assumption that their constellations would have been the same as ours. Yes, Rappenglueck apparently can find enough spots and dots in the paintings of Lascaux to roughly approximate some of our historically dedicated constellations. And yes, he can overlay our star pattern for the constellation that we designate as Taurus, the bull, over the forepart of a painted aurochs, but who is to say that the painters of Lascaux thought of those stars as making a bull at all. Perhaps they were part of a great constellation they recognized as a mammoth, a wooly rhinoceros, or maybe the Great Ground Squirrel. Perhaps that bull is just a picture of a bull after all.

A modern star chart showing

Taurus, Orion, and the Pleiades.

And third, I am not comfortable with the concept of people heading underground to study the constellations in the sky. Why aren't they just out looking up at the sky? I get the whole "secret knowledge" thing, I just don't agree. I think that this explanation is way overused. It is trotted out to explain almost anything that there is not an obvious explanation for - and again there is no proof.

Rappenglueck certainly did not originate these theories, fringie elements have propounded this for some time, he has just tried to make them academically respectable. In all fairness, I feel I should say that this might even be correct, but even if it is there is not yet enough proof to make these claims. I can understand why the press jumps on these kinds of theories - secret knowledge of the ancients - sexy stuff. But why do scholars go along with this?

NOTE: Images in this posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read the originals at the sites listed below.

REFERENCES:

https://www.ancient-wisdom.com/francelascaux.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonian_astronomy#Old_Babylonian_astronomy