AZILIAN PAINTED PEBBLES:

Wikipedia,

Public Domain.

Following the heights (at least the artistic heights) of the Magdalenian culture in Western Europe was the period known as Azilian "in the Franco-Cantabrian region of northern Spain and southern France. It probably dates to the period of - around 14,000 years ago (uncalibrated) and followed the Magdalenian culture. It can be classified as part of the Epipaleolithic or the Mesolithic periods, or both." (Wikipedia)

"Archaeologists think the Azilian represents the tail end of the Magdalenian as the warming climate brought about changes in human behavior in the area. The effects of melting ice sheets would have diminished the food supply and probably impoverished the previously well-fed Magdalenian manufacturers, or at least those who had not followed the herds of horse and reindeer out of the glacial refugium to new territory. As a result, Azilian tools and art were cruder - than their Ice Age predecessors - or simply different." (Wikipedia)

Wikipedia,

Public Domain.

We, as humans, seem to have a tendency to evaluate any large cultural change as a cultural collapse or loss of civilization, instead of just a change, and the transition from Magdalanean to Azilian has been no exception.

"Diagnostic artifacts from the culture include Azilian points (microliths with rounded retouched backs), crude flat bone harpoons and pebbles with abstract decoration. The latter were first found in the River Arize at the type-site for the culture, the Grotte du Mas d'Azil at Le Mas d'Azil in the French Pyrenees. These are the main type of Azilian art, showing a great reduction in scale and complexity from the Magdalenian Art of the Upper Palaeolithic." (Wikipedia) Up until very recently the major form or category of decorative art we knew of  associated with Azilian sites was large numbers of those painted pebbles.

Science Illustrated,

July-August 2012, p. 10.

"Azilian pebbles carry simple designs colored and/or decorated with paint made from red ochre (iron peroxide), applied from the creator's fingers. Dots, borders and bands of color, zig-zags, ovals and dashes are featured. About 1400 pebles like these were found at Le Mas d'Azil, southwestern France - the painted motifs have been suggested to represent words or numbers, as in writing." (Wikipedia)

Wikipedia,

Public Domain.

Other suggestions have related to calendrical or mathematical purposes, game pieces, or even just interior decoration (home beautification). I actually find many of them to be quite decorative and I am more disposed to assume the decorative explanation than accept mathematical or calendrical explanations. Perhaps, when a batch of paint had been manufactured for some other purpose, the painted pebbles represented a way to use up what was left1. I would think that a lot of these painted pebbles lying around the rock shelter would provide a cheerful atmosphere. We have our bric-a-brac lying around our houses, why wouldn't they?  This has been treated by most authors as cultural impoverishment, but, in the words of cosmologist Martin Rees (as cited by Carl Sagan) "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." (wiki.c2.com)

Now, a new discovery of an Azilian site in France shines a brighter light on this interpretation. "While major changes in stone tool technology between the Magdalenian and Azilian clearly mark important adaptive changes, the discovery of 45 engraved schist tablets from archaeological layers at Le Rocher de l'Impe'ratrice attests to iconographic continuity together with special valorization of aurochs as shown by a "shining" bull depiction. This evidence suggests that some cultural features such as iconography may lag far behind technological changes. We also argue that eventual change in symbolic expression, which includes the later disappearance of figurative art, provides new insight into the probable restructuring of the societies." (Naudinot et al. 2017) But, while the authors of this paper see the continuation of large animal symbolism as iconographic "lag" perhaps this imagery still fitted the spiritual need of the population. Our common religion has lasted for close to 2,000 years without a major change in symbols, perhaps the large animals are symbolic of the Azilian people's beliefs. Indeed, some artists still find creating images of animals to be pertinent and satisfying. If you are doing it right why change it? At least it should prompt a reinterpretation of the cultural and social life and accomplishments of the Azilian people. More on this newly discovered Azilian art next week.

1. Considering the amount of effort that would have been expended manufacturing paint, and the value of high quality red ocher, the remainder not used up for body painting or whatever primary purpose they had, might have been used to put those patterns on pebbles just to avoid wasting it.

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:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azilian

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Painted_

pebbles

https://wiki.c2.com/?AbsenceOfEvidenceIsNot

EvidenceOfAbsence

Naudinot, N, Bourdier C, Laforge M, Paris C, Bellot-Gurlet L, Beyries S, et al.

2017 Divergence in the Evolution of Paleolithic Symbolic and Technological Systems: The Shining Bull and Engraved Tablets of Rocher de l'Ime'ratrice, PLoSONE 12(3):e0173037. doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0173037, March 3, 2017.

NEW DISCOVERIES IN AZILIAN ART:

Rocher de l'Impe'ratrice,

Archaeology Magazine,

March/April 2019, p. 44.

As I wrote in RockArtBlog last week art historians have long considered the Azilian (ca. 14,000 BP) descendants of the great Magdalenian culture in Europe to be culturally deprived and impoverished. The main art form for which they were known were painted pebbles which, while decorative, are unimpressive compared to the beautiful Magdalenian cave paintings that preceded them. All in all they seemed to have lost a lot of ground when evaluated on cultural achievements. Cave art from the preceding periods in Europe left the magnificent animal panels of Lascaux, Chauvette, Altamira, and the other decorated caves. Azilian sites seemed to show no such art.

               Rocher de l'Impe'ratrice,

Archaeology Magazine,

March/April 2019, p. 49.

This picture has, however, changed considerably with the discovery of carved stone plaques in the Azilian layers at the rock shelter of Rocher de l'Impe'ratrice, Rock of the Empress, in France. "Rocher de l'Impe'ratrice" is a small rock-shelter approximately 10 m long, 3 m deep and 2 m high, located near Plougastel-Daoulas at the western extremity of Brittany (France). The shelter is at the foot of a 50 m high quartzite cliff dominating the Brest roadstead. The site sits about 50 m a.s.l on a southern steep slope overlying Brioverian shale bedrock. The steep topography is covered by silty-clayey solifluction deposits rich in shale flags." (Naudinot et al, 2017:3)

           Aurochs plaque (both sides),
            Rocher de l'Impe'ratrice,

www.lemonde.com

Public domain.

"Le Rocher de l'Imper'ratrice has provided 45 decorated stone pieces so far. With one exception, they all appear to be small, thin fragments of former larger slabs. Forty-three are less than 10 cm long, 29 of which are less than 5 cm. Three physical refittings have already been achieved. All the blanks are local shales." (Naudinot et al, 2017:11)

Some of the subjects portrayed on these engraved slabs are monumental animal forms, directly referencing the large painted panels on Magdalenian cave walls, suggesting a continuity of belief.

             Horse plaque (both sides),
              Rocher de l'Impe'ratrice,

decouvertes-archeologiques.blogspot.com

Public domain.

This new discovery "provides critical data to investigate the tempo of technological and symbolic change during the Azilian. The association of a lithic industry with a rich artistic assemblage of 45 engraved (and sometimes charcoaled) schist stones suggest a clear arrhythmia between symbolic production and technological adaptations. Here the possible techno-economic adaptations to climatic changes appear to have had no direct influence on the symbolic and perhaps spiritual universe of the first "Azilian" people who perpetuated an age-old tradition." (Naudinot et al, 2017:2)

                Rocher de l'Impe'ratrice,             archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com,

Public domain 

This should be a reminder to us to be very careful about underestimating so-called "primitive" peoples. Instead of the culturally impoverished people that the Azilians had been portrayed as, we find they were the inheritors of this magnificent tradition that we have long admired. The only lack was our lack of evidence, and now that we have that a whole re-evaluation would seem to be in order.

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 I direct you to the original report at the site listed below.

REFERENCE:

Naudinot, N, Bourdier C, Laforge M, Paris C, Bellot-Gurlet L, Beyries S, et al.

2017 Divergence in the Evolution of Paleolithic Symbolic and Technological Systems: The Shining Bull and Engraved Tablets of Rocher de l'Impe'ratrice, PLoSONE 12(3):e0173037. doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0173037, March 3, 2017.

ARE THESE UTE WOODEN MAPS? - OR APOPHENIA - PAREIDOLIA - MIMETOLITHS - MANUPORTS

Supposed Ute map,

engraved in wood,

with explanation.

Supposed Ute map,

left side,

with explanation

Supposed Ute map,

right side,

with explanation.

I have been writing recently on the phenomenon known as Apophenia - the "human tendency to seek patterns in random information." (Wikipedia) This is manifested in pareidolia (recognizing ponies in the clouds, for instance), and also by fascination with mimetoliths (items that naturally look like something else - mimic them).

Identified as a Map of Stratton

Open Space and Drainage.

Well, it turns out that there are plenty of people who experience that, whose facility for seeing artifacts in natural objects is considerably more sensitive than mine (or they are just a lot better at fooling themselves). I was recently sent a number of photos of pieces of pine branches showing insect boring patterns that the discoverer is certain represent maps created by Ute Indians. He has even been able to identify the area they portray, now a neighborhood in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Now, to me, they represent prime examples of Apophenia/Pareidolia, and even could be classified as Mimetoliths (mimicking actual maps), but the discoverer appears completely convinced by what he has found. Indeed, he apparently agrees that most pieces of wood that can be found with these markings are merely insect tracks, but he believes he can tell a difference and recognize the few examples that he has collected as "the real thing."

Map of Stratton Open Space,

Parks Department, City of

Colorado Springs, CO.

I think of this situation as paralleling the rock art/ogam controversy. I know those marks are not ogam, but I cannot convince the proponents - indeed, I have no way of proving it to them. This is the power of Apophenia, it is psychologically ingrained deeply into our makeup. Once, our ancestors were on the lookout for predators in the underbrush who could be recognized by the shape of a lion's ear through a break in the foliage, the contour of the side of a jaguar's head in a shadow, this is instinctive and was basic to our very survival. Our subconscious does this all the time, it is primal and not under our conscious rational control. Whereas scientific facts are merely new ideas on the surface that we trade between ourselves, nowhere near as powerful in our overall conscious-subconscious makeup.

So, I do not expect to be able to convince the discoverer of what I recognize as the truth - insect chewed wood. That would be merely boring fact. He has the power of belief on his side, and he knows down to his soul that he has made this important, historically significant discovery. He is, of course, wrong, but I almost envy him the strength of his belief. (Although I suspect that with a microscope we could detect the actual bite marks of the larvae that tunneled through the wood.)

This also represents the ideal time to introduce another term sometimes applied in this field - a Manuport. "In archaeology and anthropology, a manuport is a natural object which has been moved from its original context by human agency but otherwise remains unmodified." (Wikipedia) These pieces of tree limb are manuports because they interested their collector enough to pick them up and take them back to his residence. Mimetoliths that are seen to be interesting enough often become Manuports. In this case - you be the judge.

NOTE: For these particular objects I cannot use the term mimetolith (which basically translates as rock that mimics) because they are not rocks. Perhaps we can call them mimetoports to indicate that they are mimics that were collected by a human and transported. 

Also: I am purposely withholding the name of this individual to preserve his privacy. If he wants me to release it he can e-mail me and I will pass it along.

REFERENCE:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuport

PAREIDOLIA:

The mountainous face on Mars

in the most favorable light.

Public domain.

One phenomenon that we have to keep in mind when discussing meaning or intention in rock art is pareidolia. "Pareidolia is a psychological phenomenon in which the mind responds to a stimulus, usually an image or a sound, by perceiving a familiar pattern where none exists. Common examples are perceived images of animals, faces, or objects in cloud formations, the Man in the Moon, the Moon rabbit, hidden messages in recorded music played in reverse or at high- or lower-than-normal speeds, and hearing indistinct voices in random noise such as that produced by air conditioners or fans." (Wikipedia)

The so-called face on Mars

under the more normal lighting

conditions. Public domain.

The moon rabbit

(dark areas). Public domain.

One example of pareidolia that recently received considerable attention among fringies was the so-called face on Mars, a rock formation that under certain lighting conditions resembles a human face, but under other lighting conditions can be seen to be just a mountain (of course that did not stop the fringies from adopting it as proof of alien civilization).

"Los toros," The bulls of Altamira,

Spain. Public domain.

I can think of a couple of excellent examples of pareidolia in classic rock art. The first (literally the first discovered) is the bulls of Altamira. Even back in the 1960s in the very small unit on Cave Painting and Paleolithic art in Gardner's Art Through The Ages we were told that the bulls were on the cave ceiling because natural rounded projections from the rock reminded the painter(s) of their shape, and they were painted to fit those contours and shapes.

Spotted horses, Pech-Merle, France.

Note: the horse's head fits shape of

rock wall on the right. Public domain.

The second example of pareidolia in cave painting that comes to mind is the Spotted Horse in Pech-Merle, where the horses head and placement were suggested by the shape of a rock projection on a corner of the cave wall. In both of these instances a form recognized in the shape of the rock suggested the content of the painting - pareidolia.

Robert Bednarik gave a number of examples of pareidolia in rock art in an excellent paper in 2016 (see below). Do yourself a favor and read it. What examples can you think of?

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:

Bednarik, Robert G.

2016 Rock Art and Pareidolia, Rock Art Research, Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 167-181.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia)

WHALE HUNTERS IN CHILEAN ROCK ART:

El Mėdano rock art panel,

Atacama Desert Chile,

Showing whale hunting.

Fig. 7D, Ballester, 2018.

El Mėdano rock art panel,

Atacama Desert Chile,

Showing whale hunting.

Fig. 7A, Ballester, 2018.

Remarkable recent reports of rock art panels from the Atacama Desert on the western coast of Chile have portrayed a seemingly improbably, and surprising, subsistence technology - whaling. While we have known that the early inhabitants of this region were culturally sophisticated, I never would have guessed that the inhabitants of one of the world's most arid deserts would have the resources to develop that technology.

El Mėdano rock art panel,

Atacama Desert Chile,

Showing whale hunting.

Fig. 1C, Ballester, 2018.

"El Mėdano-style rock art from the Atacama Desert Coast in Chile provides one of the most spectacular and expressive representations of ancient marine hunting and maritime traditions. These red pictographs comprise hundreds of hunting scenes and portray a complex marine hunter-gatherer society." (Ballester 2018)

Locations of El Mėdano rock art

panels, Atacama Desert Chile,

Fig. 2, Ballester, 2018.

Remarkably, in this area, the rock art preserves many scenes of men harpooning whales, other marine mammals, and large fish, from rafts, not ocean-going canoes mind you, from rafts. "The raft employed in pre-Hispanic times was similar to those described centuries later by Europeans. Such rafts comprised two large cylindrical floating sections made of sea lion skin, which when tied together measured almost 3m in length. The floating sections were carefully sewn together using hundreds of cactus spines and cotton thread in a zig-zag pattern. Finally, the floating sections were completely sealed and water proofed with a red ochre substance." (Ballester 2018)

El Mėdano rock art panel,

Atacama Desert Chile,

Showing whale hunting.

Fig. 1B, Ballester, 2018.

"In the Izcuña ravine, 328 different paintings were found on 24 differrent blocks of rock. Many have been degraded by moisture brought by camanchacas, or cloud bank that form over the Chilean coast and move inland. But enough of the art has been preserved to date it to the other El Mėdano art. The most common type of art shows the silhouettes of large fish. Other images show hunting scenes with rafts and weapons. The study's author, Benjamin Ballester, notes that the fish or whales are always drawn oversized to the hunters and their rafts, making the prey a daunting antagonist." (Gibbens 2018)

El Mėdano harpoons and heads,

Atacama Desert, Chile.

Ballester, 2018, Fig. 9. 

Dating of the rock art panels is still in question, but, based upon the techology pictured in the hunting scenes, has been loosely assumed to fall between 3000 BP and 1500 BP. "Archaeological evidence suggests that this technology was developed in the Atacama Desert during the Formative Period (c. 3000 BP) and became popular in coastal areas around 1500 cal BP." (Ballester 2018)

Sailing raft, El Mėdano,

Atacama Desert, Chile.

Ballester, 2018, Fig. 10.

This is also indicative of the differences in subsistence strategies between various cultural centers of the Atacama Desert at this time, and the cooperative dealings between them. Communities in the river valleys and around oasis' developed agricultural based subsistence, other groups, probably more into the foothills, relied on a pastoralist lifestyle, while groups along the coast looked to marine resources for subsistence and surplus to trade.

""Marine [hunts] were one of the most important elements of their subsistence, bult they were also great fishers and mollusk gatherers," he says. "From their coastal settlements, they actively participated in large-scale exchange networks with agro-pastoralist communities from the interior valleys and oasis of Atacama, specially circulating dried fish in exchange of manufactured goods."" (Gibbens 2018)

While we have to respect the efforts of all members of any successful society and give them credit for their contributions, I have to confess that the image of these prehistoric hunters with their handmade harpoons paddling out to sea on a raft made from marine-mammal-hide floats strikes me as remarkably courageous and ambitious. Even more so is the fact that most of the images show the rafts with lone occupants. ". . the hunting activity is represented as a single practice, mainly conducted by one raft. In most cases they exhibit only one seafarer inside the boat. Overall, hunting is represented as a specialized, solitary, individual social practice, led by a selected few people. As previously mentioned, in hunting scenes, rafts and prey are connected by lines that represent harpoon ropes." (Ballester 2018)

What a wonderful record of the life and times of these people. I am in awe.

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 I refer you to the report by Benjamin Ballester (2018) listed below.

REFERENCES:

Ballester, Benjamin

2018   El Mėdano rock art style: Izcuña paintings and the marine hunter-gatherers of the Atacama Desert, Antiquity, Vol. 92, Issue 361, pages 132 -148, https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/el-medano-rock-art-style-izcuna-paintings-and-the-marine-huntergatherers-of-the-atacama-desert/3109A81F4CAD9D0E8F2AE1730FC710B8/core-readern

Gibbens, Sara

2018 Dramatic Whale Hunts Depicted in Ancient Rock Art, National Geographic, https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/02/ancient-rock-art-shows-whale-hunts-atacama-chile-spd/

EXTINCT ANIMALS IN ROCK ART - THE TIAHUANACO TOXODON?

Quadruped from Viracocha

statue, Semi-subterranean

Temple, (head to upper

right, tail to lower left),

Tiahuanaco, Bolivia.

Magicians of the Gods,

Gaham Hancock, p. 389.

In the past I have presented a number of columns on RockArtBlog about extinct animals portrayed in rock art, both real and imagined, even including one on April 1, 2015 about extinct giraffes pictured in Utah that was meant as an April Fool's Day joke (it did, however, succeed in detecting a few April Fools).

Viracocha statue,

Semi-subterranean Temple,

Tiahuanaco, Bolivia.

ancient-origins.net,

Public Domain.

There are many real examples of animals that are no longer extant that are pictured on caves walls and cliffs. The most famous examples that come to mind are the mammoths and aurochs of European Paleolithic cave art. Examples that are not accurate include all of the so-called dinosaurs found by fringies in rock art. Another example of an extinct animal that I consider to be unwarranted is represented by nebbish-looking quadrupeds at Tiahuanaco that the fringies have declared to be pictures of Toxodons.

Toxodon platensis,

Wikipedia,

Public Domain.

"Toxodontidae, is an extinct family of notoungulate mammals known from the Oligocene to the Holocene (5,000 BP) of South America, with one genus, Mixotoxodon, also known from the Pleistocene of Central America and southwestern North America (Texas). They somewhat resembles rhinoceroses, and had teeth with high crowns and open roots, suggesting that they most often fed on tough pampas grass. However, isotopic analyses have led to the conclusion that the most recent forms were grazing and browsing generalists." (Wikipedia)

                                                                  

Close-up of Viracocha statue

head, the quadrupeds can be faintly

seen on the right side of the head.

Photograph Graham Hancock. 

Well, if the Toxodon survived until 5,000 BP isn't it possible that someone in early Tiahuanaco saw one to picture on stone? No, it is not. The earliest date estimates for Tiahuanaco were Posnansky's 11,000 - 17,000 years BP were based upon geological estimates and archaeoastronomy. "Beginning in the 1970s Carlos Ponce Sangines proposed the site was first occupied around 1580 BC, the sites oldest radiocarbon date. This date is still seen in some publications and museums in Bolivia. Since the 1980s, researchers have recognized this as unreliable, leading to the consensus that the site is no older than 200 or 300 BC." (Wikipedia) Perhaps some of these cryptozoology enthusiasts are genuinely fooled by the original improbably early dating of the ruins. I suspect, however, that most of them are just cynically publishing these stories for financial gain or career notoriety.

Quadrupeds on right side of

head. Drawing of Viracocha

statue. davidpratt.info

Indeed, in reading various reports of the Tiahuanaco Toxodon, it is difficult to even determine where he is supposedly pictured. Some reports imply that the image(s) are carved on the gateway of the sun. In his book Magicians of the Gods, Graham Hancock (p. 389) correctly states that the figures are carved on the sides of the head of a humanoid statue. This figure was found in a structure known as the Semi-subterranean Temple and is assumed to represent the deity Viracocha. Many sculptures of the figure of Viracocha have been found but this is the only one with these particular quadrupeds carved on the sides of the head, and what these represent is a mystery, but I am confident that they do not represent the poor Toxodon, long dead and gone.

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 originals at the sites listed below.

REFERENCES:

ancient-origins.net

Hancock, Graham

2015 Magicians of the Gods, St. Martin's Press, New York.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiwanaku

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxodontidae

www.davidpratt.info

VANDALISM, OR LIFE-SAVING SIGN?

Cambodian Mine Action Center

sign at Laang Spean

Cave, Cambodia.

While we are almost always opposed to modern paint being sprayed on the rocks (tagging) there is a picture in Archaeology Magazine (Jan.-Feb. 2019) that we have to applaud. It is a photograph of red initials CMAC painted on the cliff at the mouth of a cave in Cambodia. CMAC stands for Cambodian Mine Action Centre, the organization tasked with locating and neutralizing land mines left over from the wars of the 1960s and 1970s in southeast Asia. This is only a small part of the story in their article Cambodia's Cave of Bridges, by Karen Coates, and well worth reading. It chronicles new research in a cave named Laang Spean (Cave of Bridges) which has opened new windows on Cambodia's past. This CMAC inscription tells the local people, and the archaeologists working in the cave, that they have cleared nearby mines and it is safe to go there. RockArtBlog has to applaud this particular tagging. I do not know how much rock art can be assigned a life-saving function, but I think it is a wonderful idea - and I wonder what other examples might be found.

NOTE: The image in this posting was retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain photographs. If any of 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 these reports you should read the original at the site listed below.

REFERENCE:

Coates, Karen

2019 Cambodia's Cave of Bridges, Archaeology, pages 48 - 52, January-February, 2019, Vol. 72, No 1.