CLAVIFORM SYMBOLS:

Claviforms, Chauvet Cave, France.

Internet, Public Domain.

Horizontal claviforms, Altamira

Cave, Spain. ca. 35,600 BP. 

Bruno, Cave Art, fig. 144, p. 166.

One of the common symbols in Paleolithic European art is designated a claviform. "Derived from the Latin word for "club-shaped", a standard claviform is defined as a vertical "P-sign", (http://www.visual-arts-cork.com) and is sometimes described by archaeologists as a stylized female figure."Although the earliest claviforms come from Altamira Cave in Spain (34,000 BCE), they are found in approximately 17% of the decorated caves in France, earliest in the French Alps (ca. 20,000 BCE), and later in the southwest (ca. 15,000 - 10,000 BCE)." (http://www.visual-arts-cork.com)

"Such stylized depictions of women are believed to fall in a category somewhere between a drawing and a sign. In fact many signs found in caves can be considered further abstractions of the female drawings. The French call such symbols claviform signs. Claviform signs are female - because they are an abstraction of the form of a woman's body." (Aczel 2009:78)

Roche de Lalinde Cave, France.

Internet, Public Domain.

Combarelles Cave, France.
Internet, Public Domain.

The first thing to notice is that they are not all the same, indeed, if we take the claviform as an abstracted female form, they represent two different philosophies; in the commonly accepted breakdown there are men who are more interested in the upper torso and men who are more interested in the posterior. Yes, they might all represent the female form, but they seem to focus on two different aspects of that form. Some of the depictions place the bulge on the upper portion of the torso, others place it on the lower portion, implying a focus on either the upper or lower attributes of the female anatomy.

Gonnersdorf Cave, Germany.

Internet, Public Domain.

Petersfels Cave, Germany.

Internet, Public Domain.

Many small portable examples are also found, carved out of bone or ivory.

             

Pech Merle, stylized female figure.

Aczel, Amir D., The Cave and the

Cathedral, 2009.

These signs also seem, as one would expect, to have developed over the passage of time, with a progressive abstraction of the shape of the female torso "in caves in the department of Lot, that is Pech Merle and Cougnac, which lie east of Les Eyzies, there is an abundance of claviform signs. At Pech Merle, which was dated to several periods that spanned thousands of years of artistic work, one finds realistic depictions of the entire female form in its early period of around 20,000 years ago." (Aczel 2009:184)

This process of abstraction, from realism to a symbol or sign, is a commonly recognized phenomenon in Art History. As Aczel described it: "such stylized depictions of women are believed to fall into a category somewhere between a drawing and a sign. In fact, many signs found in caves can be considered further abstractions of the female drawings of Pech Merle." (Aczel 2009:78)

I have pointed out before that the normal progression of a subject in art is to begin with realism and evolve through steps into abstraction. Then a cultural change makes the previous imagery/style irrelevant to the artist and the process starts over again with new examples of realism. I can think of few examples that illustrate that principle better than the case of the claviform signs.

NOTE: I find it ironic that the obviously feminine-shaped symbol was named for a weapon instead (I think Freud might have had something to say about this).

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 these reports you should read the original reports at the sites listed below.

REFERENCES:

Aczel, Amir D.

2009 The Cave and the Cathedral: How a Real-Life Indiana Jones and a Renegade Scholar Decoded the Ancient Art of Man, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ.

Bruno, David,

2017  Cave Art, Thames & Hudson, London.

http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/prehistoric/abstact-signs.htm#claviform.

ON ENDLESS MOTION - DEPICTION OF MOVEMENT IN UPPER COA VALLEY ROCK ART, PORTUGAL:

Symmetrical animation, 

implied motion - running

horses. Lascaux cave, France.

Image from the Internet,

Public domain.

Back in April of this year, I wrote two columns about animation effects in rock art, on April 20, 2019, Prehistoric Animation – Paleolithic Thaumatropes?, and on April 12, 2019, Animation in Paleolithic Cave Painting – The Flicker Effect. These both speculated about Paleolithic artists’ attempts to produce the illusion of motion in works of art. There is, however, another interpretation of animation in art. That is creating images of animals (or other objects) that are in implied motion. A 2009 paper by Luis and Fernandez reminded me of this (see References below).

Symmetrical animation, 

Côa Valley, Portugal. Ibex with

multiple legs, implied running

or leaping. Luis and Fernandez,

Fig.17, p. 1311.

Many, if not most, of the images of animals on the rocks of the Côa Valley in Portugal (and elsewhere as well) are shown as if they are in the process of moving. Legs may be shown in a walking position, heads might be raised or lowered, the animals might be looking around, any pose that implies a motion can be referred to as animated. Indeed, in Art History, one of the attributes that we look for in art is whether it is animated or static. Whether figures in the picture seem to have been captured in motion or are standing still.

Segmentary animation,

Côa valley, Portugal, Horse with

vertical head motion, Luis and

Fernandez, Fig. 15, p. 1311.

Luis and Fernandez (2009) compared this to the image on a single frame in a strip of motion picture film. “We should also note that the “static” depiction of movement (in a single frame) is the essential component of any motion picture creation process. More than being just one in the long succession of images that synchronized together create a “movie”, each single frame alone suggests movement of the (afterwards “moving”) pictured object, as static as it might appear in just one frame. A simple pose or privileged instant can already convey movement.” (Luís and Fernandes 2009:1304)
In other words, they are saying that a single picture in a pose can still be thought of as one split-second in a sequence of movement.

Symmetrical animation, 

implied motion - running

horses. Lascaux cave, France.

Image from the Internet,

Public domain.

The authors classify their “animation” into a number of categories. Among these are: Symmetrical animation – “the flying gallop”; Asymmetrical animation – limbs having different lengths with the forelegs shorter and the hind legs frequently depicted moving backwards, as if the animal is jumping; Segmentary animation – one part shown moving, i.e. the head, tail, etc.; Coordinated animation – complex coordinated movements involving primarily the positions of the legs and legs and head, or tail; Multiple contours; Movement decomposition – a distortion in voluntary movement in which motion occurs in a distinct sequence of isolated steps rather than in a smooth, flowing pattern; and Animation by Pose – snapshot moments (from Leroi-Gourhan). These fit nicely into the traditional definition of animation in art history.

Symmetrical animation, 

implied motion - running

reindeer. Lascaux cave, France.

Image from the Internet,

Public domain.

“Right from the first publications on the Côa Valley Upper Palaeolithic motifs, animation through representation of figures with multiple heads was considered as one of the originalities of this rock art complex. Albeit this form of representation of movement by means of decomposition was regarded as meaningful, the Côa rock art possesses great variety of techniques in movement depiction. If fact, the vast majority of movement portrayal in the Côa belongs to the category that Leroi-Gourhan defines in this typology as the representation of significant attitudes: poses, privileged moments or “snapshots.”” (Luís and Fernandes 2009:1307)

Now, I wish they had not gone there because I have never been comfortable with Leroi-Gourhan. While obviously a pioneer in the field of rock art, his interpretations have a whole lot more to do with his own feelings, his prejudices, and philosophies, than they ever had with the lives and motives of Paleolithic artists. Be that as it may, they look back on him for part of their inspiration.

Symmetrical animation, 

implied motion - Aurochs.

Lascaux cave, France.

Image from the Internet,

Public domain.

“We consider (as others have pointed out) that rock art, as any other product (of) human activity, anywhere and at any given moment, has manifold overlapping meanings. In today’s world of “Homo globalis”, it is common sense, perhaps a truism, to state that explanations are complex before they become simple and vice-versa. Nevertheless, many times in science, new (or “recycled”) theories are presented as the “new-all-explaining mantra” since they were produced (also) with the intent of disproving older ones. Rock art studies are no exception and often competing interpretation proposals may be used together (depending on the specific circumstances of each case, evidently) to try to build and enhance our contemporary understanding of prehistoric rock art, since precise original meaning is forever lost in the depths of time.” (Luís and Fernandes 2009:1313)

The idea that the Art Historian’s concept of “animated” can be applied to the rock art of the Côa valley seems to be wholly sound. Moreover, it need not stop there. These concepts can be applied to rock and cave art from around the world as can be seen in the examples from Lascaux I have included..

Luís and Fernandes also go farther, at the end of their paper they propose a new motivation for the creation of rock art – entertainment.

“At this point, we will draw on the depiction of movement phenomena to suggest another interpretation model for rock art that might complement and combine existing ones: that rock art can also be just a pure form of entertainment.  Entertainment in a similar manner as today we understand the concept, but also beyond, as an ontological, cultural, socio-economic tool to indoctrinate society or individuals within a society: an appealing way of conveying meaning is the most effective fashion to assure its deliverance and comprehension. Our argument is that human beings, regardless of precise circumstances, always had need for ways of alleviating the harsh truth about existence (in an escapist fashion, if you will), the finite nature of life. Thus religious or spiritual beliefs, with all the attached paraphernalia of all explaining myths, coded signs or magical rites, can also be seen as a form of entertainment. The use of entertainment devices will assure that the intended, but not always transparent or entirely conscious, social cohesion message or “command” is delivered and complied with in a more successful way.” (Luís & Fernandes 2009:1313-14)

I want to congratulate, and thank, Luis and Fernandes for their original and creative thinking, as well as for giving us more to think about ourselves.

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 these reports you should read the original reports at the sites listed below.

REFERENCES:

Faris, Peter,

2019 Prehistoric Animation – Paleolithic Thaumatropes?, April 20, 2019.

2019 Animation in Paleolithic Cave Painting – The Flicker Effect, April 13, 2019, https://rockartblog.blogspot.com

Luís, L., & Fernandes, A. P. B.
2009 On endless motion: depiction of movement in the Upper Palaeolithic Côa Valley rock art (Portugal), In Congresso Internacional da IFRAO 2009, Piauí, Brasil. IFRAO, p. 1304-1318.

AVIAN SUBJECTS IDENTIFIED IN NAZCA GEOGLYPHS: PART TWO – THE OTHERS!

Last week I began a two-report on a recent paper from the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports titled “Identifying the Bird Figures of the Nasca Pampas: An Ornithological Perspective” by Masaki Eda, Takeshi Yamasaki and Masato Sakai. Now we will look at some more of their conclusions.

BG-4c, Fig. 4c, identified as a parrot

hatchling. Internet, Public Domain.

Parrot hatchling,

abc.net.au.

“Geoglyph BG-4c (Fig. 4c) was listed as a duck (Lumbreras, 2000). The bill is short and thick, and almost as thick as the head. There is a raised portion on the forehead and an irregular circle at the center of the body trunk. If this feature represents a wing, the birds’ upper limbs are quite short. One short leg is recognizable; it is attached to a wide foot with three toes. The tail is short and equal in length to the bill. The small, wing-like feature of the geoglyph suggests that the bird is a flightless bird or a hatchling. When we assume that the bird was standing or walking, we considered that it may represent a precocial species that is able to stand and walk soon after hatching. Ducks (Anatinae, Anatidae) have bills much thinner than the bill depicted in the geoglyph. Ratites have short wings, although their long legs are completely different from the legs in the geoglyph. Assuming the bird is lying (down), it would be a hatchling of the altricial
species. The short and thick bill, rump-like feature on the forehead, short wings, legs, and tails are recognizable in parrot (Psittacidae) hatchlings (personal communications with Dr. Scott Echols). Although exclusive studies involving parrot hatchlings are required to make this assertion, the geoglyph appears to depict one of these birds.” (Masaki et. al. 2019:4)

 BG-5b, Aveni's Frigate Bird,

Identified by Masaki et.al. as a pelican.

Illustration from Aveni, Fig. 8a, p. 31.

BG-5b, Fig. 5b, Identified as a pelican,

Masaki et. al., 2019,

used with permission.

Displaying frigate bird,

(fregata-magnificens),

Photograph oceanlight.com

- Public Domain. 

Peruvian pelican, resting with

head and neck down,

(note small feather crest)

Illustration otlibrary.com

- Public Domain.

Their most controversial identifications is the image that they list as BG-5b.

“The crest depicted in the geoglyph (BG-5b) appears in a wide range of taxonomic groups. In Peru, it is found in pelicans, guans and curassows (Cracidae), hawks and eagles (Accipitridae), antbirds (hamnophilidae), and flycatchers (Muscicapidae). Among these birds, only pelicans have long, hooked bills. Assuming that the protruding portion under the head represents the breast, this geoglyph closely resembles a pelican resting on a reef.” (Masaki et. al. 2019:4)

“Geoglyph BG-5b was listed as a guano bird by Lumbreras (2000), but was also identified as a frigatebird exhibiting display behavior based on the presence of a long, hooked bill and the pouch-like throat feature under the bill (Aveni 2000). In Peru and other South American countries, the term “guano bird” is not taxonomically specific, but includes pelicans (Pelecanidae), boobies (Sulidae), and cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae); these birds breed on islands and produce guano, which is a substance composed of deposited excrement and bird carcasses and used as fertilizer [for its nitrates which were also valuable in the production of black gunpowder]. The geoglyph depicts the head and neck or protruding breast of a bird seen from the side. It is characterized by a distinctive crest and an extremely long bill that is hooked at the tip.” (Masaki et. al. 2019:4)

Although Aveni (2000:31) identified this as a displaying frigate bird (and it certainly has the outline of the head and breast of a displaying frigate bird) the frigate bird does not possess the crest shown on the head of the geoglyph. Masaki et. al. have concluded that this is most likely a pelican. Indeed, I can imagine that a pelican with its head and neck tucked back and its breast protruding could look a lot like that. None of the pelican pictures I have seen showed it with such a prominent crest, but there were raised feathers in many of them that could be called a crest.

BG-5c, Fig. 5c, identified as a flying

pelican by Masaki et. al. Internet

photograph, Public domain.

Flying Pelican, BG-5c, Fig. 5c,

Illustration Masaki et. al.

Used by permission.

Flying pelican, Internet

photograph, Public domain.

The next example is also listed as a pelican. “BG-5c was listed as a bird (Lumbreras 2000); the geoglyph depicts a bird with a crest and a long, thin bill that is hooked. Its short tail is fan-shaped, and the legs are not drawn. As stated above, pelicans are the only birds in Peru with crests and long, hooked bills. Although pelicans have long necks, they become folded when the bird is in flight. This makes the neck appear shorter and the throat pouch less conspicuous, as is the case with the bird depicted in the geoglyph. In addition, pelicans completely conceal their legs during. For these reasons we have concluded that geoglyphs BG-5b and BG-5c depict pelicans.” (Masaki et. al. 2019:4)

So, are they correct in their assumptions? I certainly have no reason to question their conclusion about the hermit (hummingbird), but does that mean that the other Nazca hummingbird geoglyphs are hummingbirds (Trochilinae), not hermits (Phaethornithinae), or are they just not classified?

The parrot hatchling seems convincing although there is always the possibility that it is just a generic bird geoglyph, only coincidentally possessing the characteristics that the researchers identified. I am the least confident about the pelicans, especially the apparent lack of the large throat pouch that pelicans possess, and which is not apparent in these geoglyphs, but I am not an ornithologist, so I will bow to their expertise on these.

What I find really fascinating is their observation that none of these birds live anywhere near Nazca today. Although the people would have seen pelicans on trips to the coast, the hermits and parrots live a long way away from Nazca, in the Amazon across the Andes to the east. How do we interpret that? And how far did Masaki et. al. go in looking for matches? There might be a better match just a county farther away. All in all though, these are fascinating questions, and a real contribution to our understanding of some of the Nazca geoglyphs.

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 these reports you should read the original publications listed below.

REFERENCES:

Aveni, A. F.
2000 Between the Lines: The Mystery of the Giant Ground Drawings of Ancient Nasca, Peru, University of Texas Press, Austin.

Lumbreras, L. G.,
2000 Contexto Arqueologico de las Lineas y Geoglifos de Nasca, UNESCO-INC.

Masaki Eda, Takeshi Yamasaki and Masato Sakai,
2019 Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Identifying the Bird Figures of the Nasca Pampas: An Ornithological Perspective, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.101875

AVIAN SUBJECTS IDENTIFIED IN NAZCA GEOGLYPHS: PART ONE – THE HUMMINGBIRD.

Hummingbird geoglyph, Nazca, Peru.

Photo Masaki Eda, used with

permission.

A favorite pastime of rock art researchers has long been trying to identify animal or plant images portrayed in rock art as to species or breed. This can have productive results in learning the appearance and physical characteristics of extinct species, or in gaining information as to the range of animals or plants during certain prehistoric periods, or give insight into the technology and cultural practices of the peoples who created the images. Now, a paper by non-rock art specialists has provided the identities of some of the birds portrayed in the geoglyphs of the Nazca desert of Peru. Masaki Eda, a Zoo-archaeologist, and self-described Archeo-ornithologist, from the University of Hokkaido in Japan, and his colleagues have applied their knowledge to analyze details in some of the bird geoglyphs and identify these with some degree of certainty and the results are somewhat surprising.

Hummingbird geoglyph, Nazca, Peru.

Photo Masaki Eda, used with permission.

Contrast enhanced by Peter Faris. 

In their report in the Journal of Archaeological Science they said “in this study, we identified bird geoglyphs in Nasca and Pampas de Jumana by noting any recognizable morphological traits. We then categorized the geoglyphs from an ornithological perspective and compared the identified characteristics with those of modern birds in Peru. In addition, we compared our identification results with those of other studies.” (p. 2)

“20 bird geoglyphs comprise the largest number of all geoglyphs that depict plants and animals at the Nasca and Palpa pampas. These geoglyphs are mainly considered to have been created during the late Paracas and the Nasca Period (c. 2400 to 1300 years ago).” (p. 1) Some of the figures previously listed as bird figures were virtually unrecognizable, either too distorted, incomplete, or too damaged to classify, but the researchers attempted to identify 16 of them. 

Koepcke's hermit hummingbird, Peru.

neotropical.birds.cornell.edu,
Public Domain.

The most commonly identified birds at Nazca are the hummingbirds. The first bird listed by Masaki et. al. is one of them. Lumbreras (2000) listed two bird geoglyphs as hummingbirds. “The bird geoglyph “3a” (BG-3a; Fig. 3a) was listed as a hummingbird (Lumbreras 2000) Its bill is notably long (almost as long as the rest of the body) and relatively thin compared to the width of the head. Short legs extend from either side of the body trunk, and each foot has three toes. The tail (with an elongated middle section) is almost as long as the body trunk. In the geoglyph, the bill is extremely long, and appears to be depicted in an exaggerated way. While hummingbirds (Trochilidae) have long bills, long tails, and short legs, these traits are also found in hacamars (Galbulidae). The feet of hummingbirds are anisodactyl (i.e., three toes face forward, and one faces backward), while those of the jacamars are zygodactyls (i.e., two toes face forward and two face backward). We, therefore, consider that geoglyph BF-3a more closely resembles hummingbirds. The family Trochilidae consist of typical brightly-colored hummingbirds (Trochilinae) and dull-colored hermits (Phaethornithinae). In Peru, long and pointed tails only occur in hermits (Fig. 3d), whereas the tails of typical hummingbirds are forked or fanshaped. We, therefore, consider that geoglyph BG-3a depicts hermits.” (Masaki et. al. 2019:2)

If this identification is correct it leaves us with an interesting question to answer. Why, of all the varieties of hummingbird to be found in the same area as Phaethornithidae, would the ancient Nazcans  choose to portray the drab hermit instead of one of the brightly colored “flying jewels” that hummingbirds are usually considered to be? A question of the habitat that this bird is found in will be brought up in Part 2.


NOTE: One image in this posting was retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain photographs. If this image is 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 subject you should read the original reports listed below.

REFERENCES:

Lumbreras, L. G.,
2000 Contexto Arqueologico de las Lineas y Geoglifos de Nasca, UNESCO-INC.

Masaki Eda, Takeshi Yamasaki and Masato Sakai,
2019 Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Identifying the Bird Figures of the Nasca Pampas: An Ornithological Perspective, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.101875

MORE AZILIAN ENGRAVINGS:

Azilian carved stone plaque,

Angouleme, France.

Internet photo.

On July 15, 2017, I posted a column titled NEW DISCOVERIES IN AZILIAN CULTURE ROCK ART, about the discovery of pictures engraved on stone plaques by the Azilian people in Paleolithic Europe. I have expanded on that subject since with two more columns about the same subject: NEW DISCOVERIES IN AZILIAN ART, on March 15, 2019; and followed by AZILIAN PAINTED PEBBLES, on March 23, 2019. Now discoveries in a new location in France have expanded this yet farther, and added to our appreciation of what was formerly thought of as a artistically impoverished time.

Another Azilian age stone plaque with markings on both sides has been found at an “ancient hunting site” near Angouleme, France.

Azilian carved stone plaque,

Angouleme, France.

Photo Natgeo.com

“Markings appear on both sides off the sandstone, the National Archaeological Research Institute (Inrap) said. The Palaeolithic stone plate, which is said to be about 25cm long, 18cm wide and 3 cm thick, ‘combines geometric and figurative motifs’, Inrap said. According to the institute, the most visible engraving is that of a headless horse,which covers at least half of the stone’s surface on one side. “Legs and hooves are very realistic” Inrap said on its website (in French), adding: “Two other animals, smaller, are also slightly incised. The other animals featured on the stone are slightly smaller, and could be a horse and a deer – which has a distinct shape to its hooves, the institute said.” (Anonymous)

“At 12,000 years old, the five animals engraved on the Angouleme stone represent the youngest examples of more realistic Azilian art. The prehistoric stone was unearthed by researchers from the French National Institute of Preventative Archaeological Research (Inrap). They had been excavating a site located near the station in Angouleme, a district to the north of Bordeaux.” (Randall 2019)

I have stated previously, that “lack of evidence is not evidence of lack”. The Azilians, assumed to have been culturally impoverished because they did not seem to create the monumental cave art of their predecessors. We are now beginning to learn that they did create relatively sophisticated art, we just had not found it up until now. And what still waits to be found?

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 these reports you should read the original reports at the sites listed below.

REFERENCES:

Anonymous,
2019 Prehistoric Stone Engraved With Horses Found in France, 6 June 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48539803

Faris, Peter
2017 New Discoveries in Azilian Culture Rock Art, July 15, 2017,

2019 New Discoveries in Azilian Art, March 15, 2019

2019 Azilian Painted Pebbles, March 23, 2019,https://rockartblog.blogspot.com/search?q=Azilian

Randall, Ian
2019 ‘Exceptional’ Prehistoric Stone Engraved with Horses That’s Believed to be 12,000 –Years-Old is Found in France, Alongside Rudimentary Fireplaces, Animal Bones and a Flint Carving Station, 7 June 2019, https://www.dailymail .co.uk/