THE PORTRAYAL OF COLOR PATTERNS AND SHADING ON HORSES IN CAVE PAINTING:

Continuing the quest for shadows in rock art, specifically the majestic art of Europe’s painted caves.

Countershading on painted horses in Lascaux cave, France. Internet photograph, public domain.

Countershading on modern horses. Internet photograph, public domain.

The normal color pattern in many large herbivores such as portrayed in Europe’s painted caves is described as “countershading” wherein the fur tends to be darker on the top of the animal and lighter on the underside.

“Countershading, or Thayer’s Law, is a method of camouflage in which an animal’s coloration is darker on the upper side and lighter on the underside of the body. This pattern is found in many species of mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, and insects, both predators and prey, and has occurred since at least between 145.5 and 65.5 million years ago, or the Cretaceous period.” (Wikipedia)

There are other theories than camouflage for the evolution of countershading. “Many theories about countershading suggest that the dark color of the skin or fur on top, containing melanin, shields against ultraviolet radiation and helps animals get more heat from sunlight. But one of the oldest theories suggests that countershading enhances visual camouflage by counteracting the effects of light and thus making animals harder to see. In other words, if an animal is darker on top and lighter underneath, this can offset shading from light and make it harder for predators to detect it.” (Levine 2016)

 

Paleolithic horses showing color scheme variations, with countershading. Illustration from Wikipedia.

Przewalski's horse showing countershading. Internet photo, public domain.

The wild equines (Equus ferus ferus) found in Europe at that time are assumed to have appeared much like the last truly wild horse in the world today, Przewalski’s horse (Equus ferus przewalski). “Several genetic characteristics of Przewalski’s horse differ from what is seen in modern domestic horses, indicating neither is an ancestor of the other. For example, the Przewalski has 33 chromesome pairs, compared to 32 for the domestic horse. Their ancestral lineages split from a common ancestor between 38,000 and 160,000 years ago, long before the domestication of the horse.” (Wikipedia)

The phenotype of the Przewalski is a good match for many of the painted horses from the caves. “The Przewalski’s horse is stockily built, smaller, and shorter than its domesticated relatives. Typical height is about 12 – 14 hands (48 to 56 inches, 122 – 142 cm), and the average weight is around 300 kilograms (660 lbs.).” (Wikipedia) Many of the painted examples show this stocky build with relatively short legs.

The Przewalski’s horse’s coat pattern is based on a bay or dun coloring of medium brown with distinct countershading. This is exactly the pattern of many of the horses from wall paintings in the caves of Lascaux and Chauvette with hair colors ranging from red to black.

Panel from Lascaux cave, France, with horse in center. Fig. 5.4, p. 67, Paul Bahn, Journey Through The Ice Age, photo Jean Vertut.

Close-up, horse from Lascaux cave, France, with shading indicated on the underside. Fig. 5.4, p. 67, Paul Bahn, Journey Through The Ice Age, photo Jean Vertut.

Most of the horses portrayed in European cave painting show this countershading. In other cases animals that should bear a countershaded patterning are found with darker underneath. I would suggest that this represents a variation of the cast shadow – dimensional shading. With a light source above a three dimensional object direct light hits the top of the object making it brighter, while the bulk of the object obscures the bottom of the object causing less light to reach it rendering it less brightly illuminated.

Horse from Chauvette cave, France, with dark strokes on the underside suggesting shading. Internet photo, public domain.

Another horse from Chauvette cave, France, with subtle shading on the underside. Internet photo, public domain.

If this is correct, not only were the cave artists producing a marvelously realistic result in the presence of their animal subjects, they were also portraying the effects of light and shade on three-dimensional surfaces, a subject taught today in basic art classes – did the painters of Lascaux and Chauvette take a class? This focus on the effects of light and shade in art was seldom seen again until the studies of the great Leonardo da Vinci and later the French Impressionism of Monet, both of whom studied the effects of light falling on a surface. Were the cave painters indeed scientific artists like Leonardo, or Impressionists, or both?

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:

Levine, Jennifer, 2016, The science behind animal coloration, 27 January 2016, Cell Mentor, http://crosstalk.cell.com/blog/the-science-behind-animal-coloration.

Wikipedia, Countershading, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countershading, accessed on 17 January 2022

Wikipedia, Equine Coat Color, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equine_coat_color, accessed 19 January 2022

Wikipedia, Przewalski’s horse, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Przewalski’s_horse, accessed 21 January 2022

A 3,500-YEAR-OLD GHOST IMAGE:

Babylonian ghost tablet. Photograph British Museum, from the internet.

I know, I know it isn’t really rock art – it’s a Babylonian clay tablet, but a 3,500 year old picture of a ghost is so cool I just could not resist.

Babylonian ghost tablet - enhanced. Photograph British Museum, from the internet.

A Babylonian clay tablet which had been on a shelf in the collections for the British Museum’s Middle Eastern department for decades was recently decoded and this discovery was made. The text on one side of the tablet was spells for a ritual to exorcise ghosts, and on the other side the curator found a previously unknown illustration of the rite. “The ghost tablet, for example, had never been displayed to the public, and no one had translated its text. Nor had anyone noticed the hidden ghostly image on the reverse side of the clay tablet, either. That side appears blank until it’s viewed under a light at just the right angle, when the image of the ghost seems to leap out at the viewer.” (Smith 2021) Any rock art enthusiast is aware of the sometimes requirement for extreme side-lighting to bring out shallow engravings.

“Irving Finkel, the curator of the British Museum’s Middle Eastern department and a specialist in cuneiform, the angular writing system of the ancient Babylonian civilization, recently translated the text of a ritual, which had remained unread and ignored since the British Museum acquired the tablet in the 1800s. At that time, museums across Europe were in a rush to stockpile Babylonian artifacts, and curators would often pay local people to loot clay and stone tablets, along with other artifacts, from archaeological sites in what is now Iraq. Most of those items arrived with little or no information about their context and ended up in storage. The ghost tablet, for example, had never been displayed to the public, and no one had translated its text. Nor had anyone noticed the hidden ghostly image on the reverse side of the clay tablet, either. That side appears blank until it’s viewed under a light at just the right angle, when the image of the ghost seems to leap out at the viewer.” (Smith 2021)

Dr. Irving Finkel, photograph Dale Cherry, 2014.

The tablet was found broken, “at least half of it is missing. But the object still holds carefully detailed instructions on getting rid of pesky ghosts. The directions call for the exorcist to make figurines of a man and woman; prepare two vessels of beer; and, at sunrise, speak the ritual words calling on the Mesopotamian god Shamash , who was responsible for bringing ghosts to the underworld. Finkel says the idea was to transfer the ghost into one of the figurines.” (Gershon 2021)

The illustration on the obverse side of the tablet shows a figure that Finkel identified as female leading the ghost away to the underworld. Finkel stated that the “absolutely spectacular object from antiquity had been overlooked until now. ‘It’s obviously a male ghost and he’s miserable. You can imagine a tall, thin, bearded ghost hanging about the house did get on people’s nerves. The final analysis was that what this ghost needed was a lover’ he said.” (Alberge 2021) Thus, supposedly, the female figurine.

So, the inference is that the ghost was in desperate need of a female companion. “He is shown walking with his arms outstretched, his wrists tied by a rope held by the female, while an accompanying text details a ritual that would dispatch them happily to the underworld.” (Alberge 2021)

It seems remarkable to me that the Babylonians had such a detailed and lengthy rite to exorcise ghosts, as if this were a very common problem. “You dress the man in an everyday shift and equip him with travel provisions. You wrap the woman in four red garments and clothe her in a purple cloth. You give her a golden brooch. You equip her fully with bed, chair, mat, and towel; you give her a comb and a flask. At sunrise towards the sun you make the ritual arrangements and set up two carnelian vessels of beer. You set in place a special vessel and set up a juniper censer with juniper. You draw the curtains like that of the diviner. You draw them in position and say as follows, Shamash[god of the sun and judge of the underworld by of the underworld by night].” (Alberg 2021) And finish with the warning  "do not look behind you." (Alberg 2021)

Having to put up with such a plethora of ghosts could lead to serious problems. “In Mesopotamia, souls could return as ghosts that manifested themselves as sickness among the living. Doctors called on those suffering from these kinds of illness to confess any sins that may have summoned the dead before treating them with spells to placate the ghosts.” (Gershon 2021)

Now where am I going to get two carnelian vessels?

NOTE: The 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:

Alberge, Dalya, 2021, Figures of Babylon: oldest drawing of a ghost found in British Museum vault, 16 October 2021, https://theguardian.com/culture

Gershon, Livia, 2021, 3,500-Year-Old Babylonian Tablet May Contain Earliest Known Depiction of a Ghost, 22 October 2021, https://www.smithsonianmag.com

Smith, Kiona N., 2021, This is the world’s oldest image of a ghost, Arstechnica.com, https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/10/this-is-the-world’s-oldest-image-of-a-ghost

 

 

ARE SHADOWS PORTRAYED IN ROCK ART – THEY ARE IMPLIED IN CAVE ART:

Auroch, Lascaux cave, Spain. Online photograph, public domain.

Another auroch, Lascaux cave, Spain. Online photograph, public domain.

I have been trying for a while now to find a pictograph or petroglyph of a human, animal, or other object, that also includes a representation of the shadow of that human, animal, or object. Why are there no representations of shadows in rock art? Shadows are certainly important in rock art. Shadows produce the pointers in archeoastronomy calendar sites. Shadows allow us to see faint rock art under certain conditions of lighting, and shadows from low-angle side lighting allow us to clearly see shallow petroglyphs. I cannot, however, find a convincing example of a shadow included in a rock art portrayal, in other words the image of a shadow in a pictograph or petroglyph.

Horses, Lascaux cave, Spain. Online photograph, public domain.

There are, however, many instances where the artists of Paleolithic European painted caves incorporated shadows in their work. I find it fascinating that so many of the animals portrayed on the walls of painted caves in Europe are shown standing with their feet right at a breaking point in the slope of the wall, so that with a light source held up they are standing on a shadow.

Owl, from Le Trois Freres, France. fig. 10.24, p. 155, Bahn, Journey Through The Ice Age.

In an interesting essay on the philosophy of shadows Roy Sorensen wrote about eights century monk Fridugisus of Tours who read the bible to prove the existence of shadows when he could see the shadows on the page. Sorensen commented: “I do not trust my eyes! Instead of reading between the lines of divine testimony, I read between the lines of scientific testimony. I ask: Do astronomers presuppose the existence of shadows when they calculate the altitude of lunar mountains? Do physicists imply that shadows move when the measure waves in a ‘shadow tank’? (The tank is filled with transparent water!)” (Sorensen 2021) (Our Paleolithic artists would have seen this effect where bright sunshine shone onto the bottom of a stream or pond through ripples in shallow water – a natural shadow tank. I would bet that they noticed it as well, but did they try to analyze it?)

Horse, Tito Bustillo cave, Asturias, Spain. Fig. 5.3, p.64, Bahn, Journey Through The Ice Age.

Sorensen’s basic question is then, do shadows really exist? Shadows are the absence of light, does the absence of something here indicate the existence of something else? In this we are dependent on our own basic senses.  “Shadows were fringe phenomena in the Dark Ages. They are rarely depicted in the era’s paintings. Perhaps the artists portrayed only what they believed to be visible. In De Anima, Aristotle writes that each sense has its own proper object: ‘Sight has color, hearing sound, taste flavor.’ Color requires light. No light, no sight. That is why we cannot see in the dark! The negative metaphysician takes exception. In a blackout, you do not hear the darkness or taste the darkness. You see the darkness. It even looks a certain way: dark all over, not red all over. You must inform a blind companion of the darkness. For a blind person cannot see the darkness. It no more looks dark to them than it looks dark behind your head. To see the darkness behind your head, you must turn around.” (Sorensen 2021)

Mammoth, Chauvet cave, France. p. 58, , Dawn of Art, the Chauvet Cave.

Then Sorensen goes on to discuss the reality (or not) of shadows. “To see is to see light. Shadows cannot absorb light. Any light present in a shadow is pollution. For a shadow is an absence of light. Absences of light cannot block light. Metaphysicians who think reality is always positive deny the visibility of shadows. We see only light, they say. A shadow is a hole in the light, not a part of what is seen, they say.” (Sorensen 2021) Were the painters in the great decorated caves of Europe Positive Metaphysicians who believed that shadows did not exist?

A horse and two mammoths, Chauvet cave, France. p. 46, Dawn of Art, the Chauvet Cave.

On a relatively uneven cave wall any projection would also cast a shadow from an elevated light source. Perhaps the cave artists did not bother painting shadows because they were counting on the real thing being seen, produced by a light source like a flaming torch held high.

I do not think of the creators of this art as Metaphysicians at all, whether positive or negative. They were practical Opticians who used the effects of light that they could observe to produce the effects they sought in their portrayals. They did not need to paint shadows under their aurochs, horses, mammoths, etc. They could use the real shadows produced by a higher light source and a change in the angle of the wall of the cave to give the image a real shadow – if shadows are real.

If you can find an example of a shadow painted or pecked into a rock art image please send it to me. This could go on a while longer.

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 this you should read the original report at the sites listed below.

REFERENCE:

Sorensen, Roy, 2021, Do We Actually See Shadows?, 1 December 2021, https://daily.jstor.org/

THE 2021 C.R.A.P. AWARD GOES TO THE DISCOVERER OF HOPI U.F.O.s:

 2021 C.R.A.P. AWARD

Yes, that’s right, the esteemed C.R.A.P. (Certifiable Rock Art Prevarication) award for 2021 goes to Gary A. David for his discovery of Hopi Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). David is a self-described “independent researcher of Southwestern archaeological ruins and rock art for twenty-five years. He earned his master’s degree in English literature from the University of Colorado and is a former college professor.  

Paatuwvota (Hopi flying saucer) identified by Gary David, photograph www.ancientcode.com.

Among other esoteric subjects David has found evidence that the Hopi knew of, and pictured in their rock art, Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). He talks of Hopi Indian legends about craft called flying shields piloted by kachinas. He also likens some katcina masks to space helmets. (David 2008:1)

Sotuknang katcina. By Lenno Polingyumptewa, Hopi.

Comparing the Hopi flying shields to artifacts from Atlantis or the lost continent of Mu, he ascribes these flying shields, or paatuwvota, to Sotuknang, whom he calls a “sky god.” (David 2008:12) In one of the Hopi myths he bases his theories on, an immense flood destroyed Palatkwapi and all of the people fled. A brother and sister who were left behind set out to find their parents. This brother and sister heard a roaring noise from above. Looking up for the source of this loud noise they saw a being descend from the heavens, clothed in a costume of something that glittered like ice, and who shone like a star from his head and face. Speaking to them he told them not to be afraid and introduced himself as Sotuknang. Sotuknang told the brother and sister that he had come to help them and invited them to climb onto his flying shield. (David 2008)

Hopi Delta-winged flying machine identified by Gary David. Internet photograph, public domain.

David explained that the Hopi called this UFO a flying shield because its shape approximated that of a warrior’s shield, and because the Hopi had no saucers to name it after. Stating that these flying shields appear in more than one myth he also discussed evidence that he found in petroglyphs.  David refers to a petroglyph near Mishongnovi, on Second Mesa, which shows an arrow with a rounded shape on top of it and the head of a maiden representing purity. The arrow supposedly represents the craft traveling through space. David goes on to state that the Hopi believe that other planets are inhabited, and that this petroglyph represents one of these flying craft, a paatuwvota. Supposedly at the end of this world the sacred beings will arrive from Venus on UFOs. These flying saucers are piloted by kachinas and David states that many Hopi traditionalists have seen these flying saucers. (David 2008)

Hopi basket weaver making sooyungyapu. Photograph A. C. Vroman, 1901. Vroman was presumably unaware that these baskets are modeled upon flying saucer.

But not all of these UFOs resemble shields. There is another kind referred to as a tawiya, or gourd, subdivided into two halves. Its rider climbs into the lower half and then closes the upper half, connecting a tightly stretched sinew between the bottom of the gourd and the button of the stem. Then rubbing the sinew between the palms of his hands this contraption then takes to the air and emits a humming noise. David ascribes to the Hopi the belief that this gourd is a magic vehicle and that those who have the power can travel in it like a flying saucer. Another celestial transport mechanism is likened to a spinning tray called a sooyungyapu. This basketry tray has a star design woven into it which David believes is a clue to its origin as another copy of these aerial craft. (David 2008)

In his 2006 book “The Orion Zone” David illustrates another example.  A petroglyph representing a triangular flying craft at Homolovi State Park. This is also identified as a paatuwvota or flying shield. (David 2008:fig. 54)

Finally, David also records a number of UFO sightings by Hopi and others around Arizona to lend credence to his arguments. (David 2014)

For these remarkable discoveries adding not only to our knowledge of rock art but space travel as well, RockArtBlog is proud to announce Gary A. David as the 2021 recipient of our CRAP award.

NOTE 1: The 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.

Note 2: David is not the only one who has heard about these Hopi Flying Machines. In chapter one of his 2013 book Donald Yates (see references below) wrote “After the end of Tokpela, World Destroyed by Fire, the people emerged to the Second World called Dark Midnight, but they begin to become preoccupied with materialistic concerns as before. They ignore once again the commandments of the Creator. Sotuknang and Spider Woman seal a select few in the underground world of the Ant People and direct the celestial Twins to leave their posts at the north and south poles. The earth spins around off its axis, rolls over twice and freezes into soled ice. After it warms the earth and seas are revived, Sotuknang brings the remnants of mankind out of the Ant kiva to emerge into the third world, Kuskurza. True to its name, Kuskurza is full of big cities, jewels, copper, tobacco and speeding vessels called patuwvota.”  Yates, however, refers to it in the sense of a legend, not the gospel truth, so he does not get to share in the award.

REFERENCES:

David, Gary A., 2014, Hopi “Flying Shields” Over Arizona, https://www.academia.edu/, accessed 22 November 2021

David, Gary A., 2008, The Flying Shields of the Hopi Kachinas, https://www.academia.edu/, accessed 20 November 2021.

David, Gary A., 2006, The Orion Zone, Adventures Unlimited Press, Kempton, Illinois

Yates, Donald N., 2013, Old Souls in a New World: The Secret History of the Cherokee Indians, Panther’s Lodge Publishing, Phoenix.

A COMMENT, AND AN ANSWER:

 

An answer to a question from "Joseph" concerning my 16 February 2019 column EXTINCT ANIMALS IN ROCK ART - THE TIAHUANACO TOXODON?

"You are confident they do not represent Toxodon, so what do they represent in your opinion?"

Well Joseph, they are badly weathered and details are very hard to recognize. This is what allowed Graham Hancock to come up with that silly identification in the first place, and makes a confident answer difficult. But, since you asked, given the short faces and the long tails, in lieu of other identifiable details I have to say that I believe that they are most likely pumas. Pumas were once present throughout North and South America and, although they have been much restricted in the recent past they are still present and protected in Bolivia.

PS: Look up a reconstruction of a Toxodon and you will find that they have very small tails and fairly long faces.