A SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION OF PAIN IN AN ANTHROPOMORPHIC PETROGLYPH?

 Spotted Woman, Picture Canyon, southeast Colorado. Photograph Peter Faris, 1986. Chalking by some unknown vandal.

In Picture Canyon, in southeastern Colorado, are found hundreds of petroglyphs, among them this anthropomorphic figure with circles on the body. On February 6, 2021, I published a column titled “A Petroglyphic Age Notation” in which I broached the possibility that the circles representd the age of the figure based on a symbol in Garrick Mallery’s 10^th annual report of the Bureau of American Ethnology. That symbol, a series of circles with short lines connecting them, was obtained from “The Dakotas”. The lines on the right side of the head of the figure I discussed as representing an ear and head of hair.

In his 2008 book Thunder and Herds, Lawrence Loendorf discussed that same petroglyph and identified the portion of lines on the right side of the head of that anthropomorph as a pain symbol, based upon a resemblance to similar symbols from the Battiste Good winter count that Good had used to represent pain.

Battiste Good, 4th from left. Beside him (2nd from left) possibly his wife Goes in the Midst. Far right his son High Hawk.

Blackens-Himself died in winter of 1724-5, Battiste Good winter count. From Mallery, Fig. 281, page 298.

“Renaud noted the presence of several anthropomorphs, which included the ‘realistic figure of a human body, the most striking petroglyph discovered this season, a woman with sign of smallpox over the body. The interpretation was made more certain after finding four similar drawings in ‘Battiste Good’s Winter Counts’ as given by Mallery in the 10^th annual report of the Bureau of American Ethnology.’” (Loendorf 2008:198)

Loendorf wrote the following about the symbol on the right side of the figures head. “The anthropomorph that Renaud described as a female figure with the ‘sign of smallpox over the body’ is over a meter high and is shown in profile view. Its fleshed-out arms and legs and its round head, eyes, and mouth make it appear more realistic than most rock art representations of humans. Identification of the figure is based on a bulge on its right side that some researchers believe represents a breast, although this is not a convention for designating gender else-where on the High Plains. It is the presence of 16 or 17 circles on the figure’s body that prompted Renaud’s diagnosis of smallpox, which he based on similarities between the circles and mnemonic icons in ‘Battiste Good’s Winter Count’ which are known to represent smallpox.

Not all researchers accept the validity of Renaud’s comparison, supporting their rejection by citing circles that are not indicative of smallpox on similar figures at other rock art sites. Bill Buckles, for example, has pointed out that a similar petroglyph in the Galisteo Basin near Santa Fe, New Mexico, is identified by Pueblo Indians as a representation of Shulawitsi, the Fire God, and that another similarly spotted figure in a painting by George Catlin represents a Mandan spirit.” (Loendorf 2008:199)

The pain symbol from Battiste Good's winter count. Tracing by Peter Faris.

It is true that Mallery illustrated four drawings from Battiste Good’s winter count with a symbol representing internal pain included. The symbol chosen by Good was a representation of the stomach and intestines and in one of his illustrations he shows it to be in the interior of a man’s figure. In the other instances it is used externally. “Battiste Good had developed a fascinating and unique symbol to represent pain. In the 1724-25 image showing “Blackens Himself died winter” he portrays the cause of death. This was assumed to be an intestinal problem and Good shows it as the stomach and intestines in front of Blackens Himself representing his bowels in violent commotion, “going round and round”. Good used this symbol thereafter to illustrate pain in a number of subsequent portrayals.” (Green and Thornton 2007:78)

 

Whorl from the right side of the head of Spotted Woman, Picture Canyon, southeast Colorado. Tracing by Peter Faris.

Close-up of Spotted Woman, Picture Canyon, southeast Colorado. Photograph Peter Faris, 1986. Chalking by some unknown vandal.

Loendorf compared the lines at the right side of the head of the Picture Canyon anthropomorph to Battiste Good’s pain symbol and also a symbol used by the Aztecs to illustrate pain. (Personal communication 10/16/2021)

 

Figure 7.5, page 200, Thunder and Herds, Loendorf, 2008.

"Figure 7.5. On the left is the anthropomorph at Picture Canyon that may be suffering from smallpox. On the right is a composite illustration showing the Battiste Good drawing of smallpox and the Aztec pain symbol. Redrawn by Elaine Nimmo from Mallery 1972:308,313; and Historia De Las Cosas de Nueva Espana, Volume 4, Book 12, Lam, cliii, plate 114, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University." (Loendorf 2008:200)

That particular Aztec symbol is used for breath and speech and could very easily be meant to illustrate pain. If used in conjunction with illness or a wound I would take it to represent a groan or a cry from the pain. But, does that particular portion of the figure with circles from Picture Canyon possess an adequate resemblance to Battiste Good’s pain symbol? 

Spotted Woman, Picture Canyon, southeast Colorado. Photograph Peter Faris, 1986. Chalking by some unknown vandal.

I find it fairly easy to disagree with Renaud’s interpretation, having found many errors in his illustrations and recording of rock art. Pretty much all the accepted representations of smallpox, and especially Battiste Good’s representations, show the small pox pustules as dots or blotches on the body, not as large circles. As I said above I suggested a very different interpretation for the circles on the body, an age count. Disagreeing with Larry Loendorf is a different matter altogether, and I would not do so lightly. His remarkable rock art recording projects set the bar exceedingly high for the rest of us, and he has done remarkable interpretations as well. I will just end by saying that I am uncomfortable with the differences between Battiste Good’s pain symbol and that portion of the Picture Canyon anthropomorph, and, if I doubt that the figure represents a case of smallpox, then it follows that I have to doubt that the figure is expressing pain.

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, 2021, A Petroglyphic Age Notation, 6 February 2021, https://rockartblog.blogspot.com

Greene, Candace S., and Russell Thornton, 2007, The Year The Stars Fell: Lakota Winter Counts at the Smithsonian, Smithsonian National Museum, Washington.

Loendorf, Lawrence L., 2008, Thunder and Herds, Rock Art of the High Plains, Left Coast Press, Walnut Creek, California.

DID A REVERSAL OF THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD STIMULATE THE RISE OF ROCK ART?

Cave of El Castillo, Spain. Handprints dated to 40,800 years BP. Photo 2012, University of Bristol.

It is fairly well known that the Earth’s magnetic field has been weakening and the North magnetic Pole has been shifting at increasing rates, prompting speculation about a forthcoming reversal of the magnetic field of the Earth, and its effects on the life on Earth. “Over the recent past, Earth’s magnetic field has steadily weakened (~9% in the past 170 years), and this, along with the current rapid movement of the magnetic North Pole, has increased speculation that a field reversal may be imminent. The estimated economic impacts of such a reversal have focused on the increased exposure to extreme solar storms, with multibillion-dollar daily loss estimates likely to be conservative.” (Cooper et al. 2021:1)14

 

As to what impact such a change in Earth’s magnetic field, a recent study, based on new evidence from an ancient C14 sequence looked at the consequences of such an event known as the Laschamps Excursion. “One of the best opportunities to study the impacts of extreme changes in Earth’s magnetic field is the Laschamps Excursion (hereafter Laschamps) – a recent, relatively short-duration (<1000 year) reversal -41 thousand years ago (ka). Sedimentary and volcanic deposits indicate a weakening of the magnetic field intensity to <28% of current levels during the reversed phase of the Laschamps and , notably, as little as 0 to 6% during the preceding transition as polarity switched. (Cooper et al. 2021:1)

 

Cave of El Castillo, Spain. Handprints dated to 40,800 years BP. Photo 2012, University of Bristol.

The researchers found that “a return to periglacial conditions that occurred at 42.23±o.2 ka, coincident with the weakening of the magnetic field during the transition into the Laschamps. The periglacial conditions lasted until the Holocene suggesting pervasive and widespread cold conditions (associated with a strengthening or northward shift in the core westerly airflow) across this sector of the Southern Ocean.” (Cooper et al. 2021:6)

The term ‘periglacial’ refers to conditions at the edge of a glacier, and such conditions could well have driven populations into caves for shelter from the cold.

 

Cave of El Castillo, Spain. Handprints dated to 40,800 years BP. Photo 2012, University of Bristol.

“Overall, the signals – suggest that contemporaneous climatic and environmental impacts occurred across the mid- to lower latitudes ~42 ka, coincident with Earth’s weakened geomagnetic field immediately preceding the reversed state of the Laschamps. We describe this as the ‘Adams Transitional Geomagnetic Event (hereafter ‘Adams Event’), named after the science writer Douglas Adams because of the timing (the number ‘42’) and the associated range of extinctions.” (Cooper et al. 2021:7) The name ‘Adams Event’ was in reference to Douglas Adam’s 1979 book Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy which declared that the answer to the ultimate answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything, was ‘42’.

“These broad-scale atmospheric circulation changes appear to have had far reaching consequences. Within Australia, the peak megafaunal extinction phase is dated at ~42.1 ka, both in the mainland and Tasmania, and has generally been attributed to human action, although well after their initial arrival at least 50 ka. Instead, the megafaunal extinctions appear to be contemporaneous with a pronounced climatic phase shift to arid conditions that resulted in the loss of the large interior lakes and widespread change in vegetation patterns.” (Cooper et al. 2021:7)

Babirusa, 45,500 BP, Leang-Tedongnge Cave, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Internet photograph, public domain.

Although this study was primarily based upon data from the southern hemisphere, its conclusions are applied globally. “For instance, the Adams Event is very close in timing to the globally widespread appearance and increase in figurative cave art, red ochre handprints, and changing use of caves ~40 to 42 ka, e.g., in Europe and Island Southeast Asia. This sudden behavioral shift in very different parts of the world is consistent with an increasing or changed use of caves during the Adams Event, potentially as shelter from the increase of ultraviolet B, to potentially harmful levels during GSM or SEPs, which might also explain an increased use of red ochre sunscreen. Rather than the actual advent of figurative art, early cave art would therefore appear to represent a preservation of preexisting behaviors on a new medium.” (Cooper et al. 2021:7)

This last statement, that the shifting of the Earth’s magnetic field event, had the effect of a “widespread appearance and increase in figurative cave art, red ochre handprints, and changing use of caves” requires some kind of explanation. How could that event actually affect human creativity?

43,900 year old Anoa, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Internet photograph, public domain.

In 2009, Allan Snyder, director for the Center for the Mind at the University of Sydney, published the results of an inquiry into magnetically induced creativity. He stated “We cannot draw naturalistic scenes unless we are taught tricks. This is surprising because our brains obviously possess all of the necessary visual information required to draw, but we are apparently unable to consciously access it for the purpose of drawing. Unlike artistic savants, we tend to be more aware of the meaningful whole than its constituent parts. Snyder et al. (2003) directed low-frequency rTMS (repetetive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation)for 15 minutes over the LATL (left anterior temporal lobe) of 11, right-handed, healthy participants. The participants were given 1 min. to draw a dog, horse or face from memory, before, during, immediately after and 45 min. after rTMS treatment.

Magnetic stimulation caused a major change in the schema of the drawings of 4 out of 11 participants. Two of these also underwent sham (inactive) stimulation either the week before or after the real test. The changes in drawing style were observed only following active stimulation and not after sham stimulation. In some cases, the drawings returned to ‘normal’ 45 min. after rTMS ceased. Several participants reported greater awareness of detail in their surrounds after active rTMS. One participant published his experience, stating that he ‘could hardly recognize the drawings as his own even though he had watched himself render each image.’” (Snyder 2009)

40,000 year old Babirusa, Borneo, Indonesia. Internet photograph, public domain.

While I do not know if Cooper et al. envision the swapping of the Earth’s magnetic poles as some kind of magnetic wave sweeping through the minds of Paleolithic peoples, or if it was the return to full magnetic strength after the decline through the millenia preceding the event that supposedly triggered the creativity of ~42.1 ka, but as they reported, cave painting appeared right around the time of that event on both sides of our globe. In El Castillo cave in Spain handprints and other painted figures have been dated to 40,800 years ago (University of Bristol 2012) and on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi zoomorphic figures in a cave have been dated as early as 43,900 years ago (Smith 2019).

And this did not require every human to be artistically affected. Remember Snyder’s statement “We cannot draw naturalistic scenes unless we are taught tricks”. Even of only a small percentage of the population became this creative, once the first improved images are painted the “tricks” are taught, they can be studied and repeated.

So, did this really happen, I think the jury is still out on this one, but it is sure to attract (magnetically) some thought.

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:

Cooper, A. et al., 2021, A Global Environmental Crisis 42,000 Years Ago, Science, Vol. 371, 19 February 2021, p. 811, doi: 10.1126/science.abb8677.

Snyder, Allan, 2009, Explaining and Inducing Savant Skills: Privileged Access to Lower Level, Less-Processed Information, 27 May 2009, Philosophical Transactions B, The Royal Biological Society, vol. 364, pp,1399-1405

Smith, Kiona, 2019, A 43,900-year-old cave painting is the oldest story ever recorded, 15 December 2019, Ars Technica, https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/12/a-43900-year-old-cave-painting-is-the-oldest-story-ever-recorded/

 

University of Bristol, 2012, Uranium-series dating reveals Iberian paintings are Europe’s oldest cave art, Science Daily, 14 June 2012, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012,06,120614142840.htm

WHALE HUNTING ARTISTS OF NORTHERN SIBERIA – THE PEGTYMEL PETROGLYPHS:

    Pegtymel petroglyphs, Russia. Photograph Chukotka Travel.

    Pegtymel petroglyphs, Russia. Photograph Institute of Archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences.

One of the interesting things about us humans is the way we relate everything to ourselves. A rock art site in the far northeast corner of Russian Siberia is thought of as being way, way off in an isolated area. Of course, to the people who created the rock art it was not way off or isolated at all, it was their downtown, or at least their home territory.

Originally reported in a 1965 geological survey near the mouth of the Peftymel River, they were first visited and recorded in 1967 and 1968. (Dikov 1971:2)

    Pegtymel petroglyphs, Russia. Online photograph, public domain.

    Pegtymel petroglyphs, Russia. Photograph                    Vladimir Devyatkin.

“In all we found 104 groups of illustrations, which we numbered successively for this publication in order of their location on the course of the river. Not all of these groups can be viewed as single compositions. More often they consist of illustrations from different time periods, sometimes lacking not only unity of subject but style and technique of execution. We grouped these petroglyphs only because of their location on the same panel of the cliff.” (Dikov 1971:7-8)

In 2021 another expedition to the site began newly recording all the rock art in detail according to an article in the Siberian Times by Svetlana Skarbo. Although her reporting has a number of factual errors in details it also included magnificent photographs of the area and the rock art from the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Bear hunt with dogs. Pegtymel petroglyphs, Russia. Online photograph, public domain.

“The spectacular art gallery – was ‘opened’ at least two thousand years ago, when ancient artists embossed petroglyphs on rocks of what is now Chukotka, Russia’s easternmost corner.” (Skarbo 2021)

Pegtymel petroglyphs, Russia. Photograph Institute of Archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences.

“The Pegtymel petroglyphs were found by Soviet geologists in 1967 (1965 actually), high above the right bank of the Pegtymel River, a short distance from the East Siberian Sea.” (Skarbo 2021)

“In the summer of this year “the first scientific expedition since 2008 got to the site to start a major project on preserving unique stone drawings as they get destroyed with time. Five archeologists and three volunteers spent two weeks gathering photo material to create 3D models of Pegtymel petroglyphs, and to map the whole ‘gallery’.” (Skarbo 2021)

Whale hunt. Pegtymel petroglyphs, Russia. Photograph Institute of Archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences.

Another assumption that we tend to make about people who lived way back then in an “isolated” area is that they are primitive. I cannot believe that any group of people who could hunt whales 2,000 years ago were culturally or technologically primitive. When archaeological work has provided artifacts and actual data about these people we will be able to make assumptions based on reality, but until then we can appreciate the petroglyph record they left us.

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:

Dikov, N. N., 1971, Mysteries in the Rocks of Ancient Chukotka (Petroglyphs of Pegtymel), translated by Richard L. Bland, Nauka Pub., Moscow.

Skarbo, Svetlana, 2021, Whale Hunting and Magic Mushroom People of 2,000-year-old Eurasia’s Northernmost Art Gallery, 14 September 2021, The Siberian Times, Novosibirsk, Russia