Rock paintings of ancient people. Types and features of the art of primitive society

Traditionally, rock paintings are called petroglyphs, this is the name for all images on stone from ancient times (Paleolithic) up to the Middle Ages, both primitive cave rock hewn paintings, and later ones, for example, on specially installed stones, megaliths or "wild" rocks.

Such monuments are not concentrated somewhere in one place, but widely scattered across the face of our planet. They were found in Kazakhstan (Tamgaly), in Karelia, in Spain (Altamira cave), in France (caves of Font-de-Gaume, Montespan, etc.), in Siberia, on the Don (Kostenki), in Italy, England, Germany, in Algeria, where the gigantic multicolored paintings of the Tassilin-Ajjer mountain plateau in the Sahara, among the sands of the desert, were recently discovered and made a sensation all over the world.

Despite the fact that the rock paintings have been studied for about 200 years, they still remain a mystery.

According to the generally accepted theory of evolution, primitive man remained a primitive hunter-gatherer for many tens of thousands of years. And then a real insight suddenly visited him, and he began to draw and carve mysterious symbols and images on the walls of his caves, rocks and mountain crevices.

Oswald O. Tobisch, a man of generous and varied talents, spent 30 years researching more than 6,000 rock paintings, trying to restore some kind of logical system that unites them. When you get acquainted with the conclusions of his research and numerous comparative tables, it literally takes your breath away. Tobish traces the similarities of various rock paintings, so that it seems that in ancient times there was a single pra-culture and universal knowledge associated with it.

Of course, millions and millions of rock paintings did not appear at the same time; very often (but not always) they are separated by many millennia. In other cases, drawings were created on the same rocks over several millennia.

Nevertheless, it is a striking fact that many rock paintings in various parts of the world arose almost simultaneously. Everywhere, be it Toro Muerto (Peru), where tens of thousands of rock paintings have been found, Val Carmonica (Italy), the vicinity of the Karakoram Highway (Pakistan), the Colorado Plateau (USA), the Paraibo region (Brazil) or southern Japan, almost identical symbols and figures. Of course, I cannot fail to note that in each separate place there are their own, strictly localized types of images that cannot be found anywhere else, but this does not clear up the mystery of the striking similarity of the rest of the drawings.

If we consider all these images with all their attributes and symbols, an amazing impression arises that the sound of the same calling trumpet suddenly rang out all over the continents: “Remember: the gods are those who are surrounded by rays!” These "gods" in most cases are depicted as much larger than other little men. Their heads are almost always surrounded or crowned with a halo or nimbus, as if radiant rays emanate from them. In addition, ordinary people are always depicted at a respectful distance from the "gods"; they kneel before them, prostrating themselves on the ground, or raising their hands to them.

Oswald Tobisch, a specialist in rock art, who traveled all over the world, with his tireless efforts, came even closer to unraveling this ancient mystery: perhaps it was still in the powerful force field of the “primordial revelation” of the one and all-powerful Creator?”

Hopi rock paintings in Arizona, USA

Similar examples of the creativity of ancient peoples can be found all over the world. In Altai - rock portraits of humanoid creatures in spacesuits, created 4 - 5 thousand years ago. In Central America - launching "spaceships". They are depicted on some Mayan tombs dating back about 1300 years. In Japan, bronze figurines of the 4th century BC are found dressed in helmets and overalls. In the mountains of Tibet - "flying saucers" painted 3000 years ago. Entire galleries of monsters with antennae on their heads, tentacles instead of arms and mysterious weapons are “exhibited” for all to see for us, descendants, in caves, on plateaus and in the mountains in Peru, Sahara, Zimbabwe, Australia, France, Italy.
Huge figures and a number of little men.

It is written in the history textbook that the primitive man wanted to somehow express himself and realize his primitive creativity with what was at hand. So rock paintings appeared on the rocks in deep caves.

But how primitive were our ancestors? And was it really so simple a few thousand years ago, as we imagine it to be? The drawings from primitive art collected in this article may make you think about something.

There is something magically attractive and at the same time sad in petroglyphs. We will never know the names of talented ancient artists and their history. All that remains for us are rock paintings, by which we can try to imagine the life of our distant ancestors. Let's take a look at 9 famous caves with cave paintings.

Cave of Altamira

Opened in 1879 by Marcelino de Sautola in Spain, it is not without reason that they call the Sistine Chapel of primitive art. The techniques that were in service with ancient artists, the Impressionists began to use in their work only in the 19th century.

The painting, discovered by the daughter of an amateur archaeologist, made a lot of noise in the scientific community. The researcher was even accused of falsification - no one could believe that such talented drawings were created millennia ago.

The paintings are made realistically, some of them are three-dimensional - a special effect was achieved using the natural relief of the walls.

After the opening, everyone could visit the cave. Due to the constant visits of tourists, the temperature inside has changed, mold has appeared on the drawings. Today the cave is closed to visitors, but not far from it is the Museum of Ancient History and Archeology. Just 30 km from the Altamira cave, you can get acquainted with copies of rock paintings and curious finds of archaeologists.

Lascaux cave

In 1940, a group of teenagers accidentally discovered a cave near Montillac in France, the entrance to which was opened by a tree that had fallen during a thunderstorm. It is small, but there are thousands of drawings under the vaults. Some of them were painted by ancient artists on walls as early as the 18th century BC.

It depicts people, symbols and in motion. The researchers divided the cave into thematic zones for convenience. Drawings of the Hall of the Bulls are known far beyond the borders of France, its other name is the Rotunda. Here is the largest rock art, of all discovered - a 5-meter bull.

Under the vaults there are more than 300 drawings, including here you can see the animals of the ice age. It is believed that the age of some paintings is about 30 thousand years.

Cave Nio

In the southeast of France is located, about the painting inside which the locals knew back in the 17th century. However, they did not attach due importance to the drawings, leaving numerous inscriptions nearby.

In 1906, Captain Molyar discovered a hall with images of animals inside, which later became known as the Black Salon.

Inside you can see bison, deer and goats. Scientists believe that in ancient times, rituals were performed here to attract good luck on the hunt. For tourists, next to Nio, the Pyrenean Park of Prehistoric Art is open, where you can learn more about archeology.

Koske Cave

Not far from Marseille is located, which can only be entered by those who can swim well. To see the ancient images, you have to swim through the 137-meter tunnel, located deep under water. The unusual place was discovered in 1985 by diver Henri Koske. Scientists believe that some images of animals and birds found inside were made 29 thousand years ago.

Kapova Cave (Shulgan-Tash)

Cueva de las Manos Cave

In the south of Argentina in 1941, ancient paintings were also discovered. There is not one cave here, but a whole series, the total length of which is 160 km. The most famous of them is Cueva de las Manos. Its name is translated into Russian as "".

There are many images of human palms inside - our ancestors made prints on the walls with their left hands. In addition, here you can see hunting scenes and ancient inscriptions. The images were taken from 9 to 13 thousand years ago.

Caves of Nerja

The caves of Nerja are located 5 km from the city of the same name in Spain. The rock paintings were discovered by accident by teenagers, as happened earlier in the Lascaux cave. Five guys went to catch bats, but accidentally saw a hole in the rock, looked inside and found a corridor with stalagmites and stalactites. The find interested scientists.

The cave turned out to be impressive in size - 35,484 square meters, which is equivalent to five football fields. The fact that people lived in it is evidenced by many finds: tools, traces of a hearth, ceramics. Downstairs are three rooms. The hall of ghosts scares guests with unusual sounds and strange shapes. The hall of waterfalls was equipped as a concert hall, it can accommodate 100 spectators at the same time.

Montserrat Caballe, Maya Plisetskaya and other famous artists performed here. Bethlehem Hall impresses with bizarre columns with stalactites and stalagmites. Rock paintings can be seen in the Hall of Spears and the Hall of Mountains.

Before the discovery of this cave, scientists assumed that the most ancient drawings are in the Chauvet cave. According to recent studies, our distant ancestors began to engage in creativity even earlier than modern science believed. The results of radiocarbon analysis showed that six images of seals and fur seals were supposedly made 43 thousand years ago - therefore, they are even older than the rock art discovered in Chauvet. However, it is too early to draw conclusions.

Magura Cave

The images in all these caves and the methods of applying drawings are completely different. However, there are also common features. The artists of antiquity conveyed their perception of the world with the help of creativity and shared their outlook on life, only they did it not with words, but with drawings.

Friends, where and how did it all start?

Maybe when an ancient man saw his footprint in the sand?
Or, when you ran your finger along the ground, did you realize that you get a fingerprint?
Or maybe when our ancestors learned to control the “fiery beast” (fire) by passing the burnt end of the stick over the stone?

In any case, it is clear that man has always been curious and even our ancestors, leaving primitive drawings on rocks and stones, wanted to convey their feelings to each other.

Exploring drawings of ancient people, it is obvious that in the process of evolution, their drawings also improved, moving from primitive to more complex images of people and animals.

It is known that archaeologists have found in Africa, in the Sibudu cave, rock paintings made by ancient people 49 thousand years ago! The drawings were painted with ocher mixed with milk. Primitive people used ocher even earlier, about 250 thousand years ago, but the presence of milk in the paint was not found.

This find was strange in that the ancient people who lived 49 thousand years ago did not yet have livestock, which means they got milk by hunting the beast. In addition to ocher, our ancestors used charcoal or burnt roots, crushed into powder, limestone.

Everyone knows murals of ancient egypt most popular. The history of the Ancient Egyptian civilization has about 40 centuries! This civilization reached great heights in architecture, the writing of papyri, as well as graphic drawings and other images.

Existence ancient egypt began 3000 BC. e. and ended IV-VII centuries. ad.

The Egyptians loved to decorate almost everything with paintings: tombs, temples, sarcophagi, various household trifles and utensils, statues. For paints used: limestone (white), soot (black), iron ore (yellow and red), copper ore (blue and green).

The painting of ancient Egypt was meaningful, depicting people, for example, the dead, providing services to them in the afterlife.

They believed in an afterlife and believed that life was just a gap to another, more interesting life. Therefore, after death, the deceased was glorified in images.

No less fascinating ancient drawings and frescoes of other civilizations - Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece.

Greco-Roman antiquity began in the 7th century BC and ended in the 6th century AD. The Romans spied on the ancient Greeks to make wall paintings on wet plaster.

So, for example, for paints, colored minerals mixed with egg white and animal glue. And after drying, such a fresco was covered melted wax.

But here ancient Greeks knew a much better way to preserve bright colors. The plaster they used contained lime and, when dried, formed a transparent, thin film of calcium. It was this film that made the fresco durable!

Wall frescoes of ancient Greece have survived to this day, millennia later, perfectly preserved in the same bright and saturated color as when they were created.

Previously, a fresco was called painting work on wet plaster. But in our time, any wall painting can be called a fresco, regardless of the technique of its execution.

In general, wall paintings or frescoes belong to monumental painting. And it has a direct bearing on me. It is alfrey painting, that is, wall painting, that is my main specialization, which I studied at a private school in the south of France.

You can see my work in the section >>> <<<

In the Middle Ages in Kievan Rus the walls of the cathedrals were painted with beautiful frescoes. So, for example, in 2016 I visited the Sophia Kyiv Reserve in Kyiv. And in the most beautiful cathedral, founded in 1037 by the Grand Duke of Kyiv Yaroslav the Wise, wall frescoes have been preserved on the walls (the total area of ​​frescoes is 3000 sq. m.)

The main composition in the cathedral - family portrait of Yaroslav the Wise on three walls. But only portraits of the sons and daughters of the prince have survived and are well preserved. The huge frescoes painted in the 11th century, of course, made a strong impression on me.

Also already in Middle Ages (period V - XV centuries) used for painting not only walls, but also surfaces made of wood (for painting). Tempera paints were used for such works. This paint, of course, is considered one of the oldest types of paints and was used to paint pictures until the 15th century.

Until one day Dutch painter Van Eyck not widely used oil based paints in Europe

Tempera These are water based paints. Coloring powder diluted with water and chicken yolk. The history goes back more than 3000 years to this type of paint.

Sandro Botticelli / Sandro Botticelli. Left Portrait of a young woman 1480-1485, 82 x 54 cm , Frankfurt. On right Annunciation 1489-1490, tempera on wood, 150 x 156 cm, Florence

For example, in ancient Egypt sarcophagi of the pharaohs painted with tempera.

But to use canvas, instead of a wooden board for writing pictures, in the countries of Western Europe began only at the beginning of the 16th century. Florentine and Venetian painters painted in significant quantities on canvas.

In Russia, canvases as the basis for painting began to be used even later, only from the second half of the 17th century. But that is another story…. Or rather

So, showing curiosity and making a little analysis, you can trace the ways of human self-expression from a primitive drawing to true creations of the Middle Ages !!! Of course, this is not a scientific article, but only the view of one curious artist who likes to dig and dig in the labyrinths of the human mind.

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Ask your questions below in the comments, I usually answer all questions quickly

For many years, modern civilization had no idea about any objects of ancient painting, but in 1879, amateur archaeologist Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola, along with his 9-year-old daughter, accidentally stumbled upon the Altamira Cave during a walk, the vaults of which were decorated with many drawings of ancient people - the find, which had no analogues, shocked the researcher extremely and encouraged him to study it closely. A year later, Sautuola, together with his friend Juan Vilanov y Pier from the University of Madrid, published their research results, which dated the execution of the drawings to the Paleolithic era. Many scientists took this message extremely ambiguously, Sautuola was accused of falsifying the finds, but later similar caves were discovered in many other parts of the world.

Rock paintings in Altamira cave

Pablo Picasso, visiting the Altamira cave, exclaimed: "after the work in Altamira, all art began to decline." He wasn't kidding. The art in this cave and in many other caves that are found in France, in Spain and other countries, is one of the greatest assets in the field of art that has ever been created.

Magura Cave

Magura Cave is one of the largest caves in Bulgaria. It is located in the northwestern part of the country. The walls of the cave are adorned with prehistoric rock paintings dating from about 8,000 to 4,000 years ago. More than 700 drawings were discovered. The drawings depict hunters, dancing people and many animals.

Cueva de las Manos - "Cave of the Hands".

Cueva de las Manos is located in Southern Argentina. The name can be literally translated as "Cave of Hands". The cave depicts mostly left hands, but there are also hunting scenes and images of animals. The paintings are believed to have been created 13,000 and 9,500 years ago.

Bhimbetka.

Bhimbetka is located in central India and contains over 600 prehistoric rock paintings. The drawings depict people who lived at that time in a cave. Animals were also given a lot of space. Images of bison, tigers, lions and crocodiles have been found. The oldest painting is believed to be 12,000 years old.

Serra da Capivara

Serra da Capivara is a national park in the northeast of Brazil. This place is the home of many stone shelters that are decorated with rock paintings that represent ritual scenes, hunting, trees, animals. Some scientists believe that the oldest rock paintings in this park date back 25,000 years.

Prehistoric rock paintings at Laas Gaal

Laas Gaal is a cave complex in northwest Somalia that contains some of the earliest known art on the African continent. The prehistoric rock paintings are estimated by scientists to be between 11,000 and 5,000 years old. They show cows, ceremonially dressed people, domestic dogs and even giraffes.

Drawing of a giraffe in the Tadrart Acacus.

Tadrart Acacus forms a mountain range in the Sahara desert, in western Libya. The area has been known for its rock paintings since 12,000 BC. up to 100 years. The paintings reflect the changing conditions of the Sahara Desert. 9,000 years ago, the local area was full of greenery and lakes, forests and wild animals, as evidenced by rock paintings depicting giraffes, elephants and ostriches.

Drawing of a bear in Chauvet cave

Chauvet Cave, in the south of France, contains some of the earliest known prehistoric rock art in the world. The images preserved in this cave may be around 32,000 years old. The cave was discovered in 1994 by Jean Marie Chauvet and his team of cavers. The paintings found in the cave represent images of animals: mountain goats, mammoths, horses, lions, bears, rhinos, lions.

Rock painting of Kakadu.

Located in northern Australia, Kakadu National Park contains one of the largest concentrations of Aboriginal art. The oldest works are believed to be 20,000 years old.

Drawing of a bison in the cave of Altamira.

Discovered in the late 19th century, the Altamira Cave is located in northern Spain. Surprisingly, the paintings found on the rocks were of such high quality that scientists doubted their authenticity for a long time and even accused the discoverer Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola of forging the painting. Many do not believe in the intellectual potential of primitive people. Unfortunately, the discoverer did not live to see 1902. This year, the paintings were found to be authentic. The images are made with charcoal and ocher.

Paintings by Lasko.

The Lascaux Caves, located in the southwest of France, are adorned with impressive and famous rock paintings. Some of the images are 17,000 years old. Most of the rock paintings are depicted far from the entrance. The most famous images of this cave are images of bulls, horses and deer. The largest rock art in the world is the bull in the Lascaux Cave, which is 5.2 meters long.

Ancient rock paintings (petroglyphs) are found all over the world and have one thing in common, they describe animals, including those that are no longer found on earth. Many of these drawings are so well-preserved that experts thought they were fake at first glance. However, after careful examination, the images were found to be authentic. Below is a list of ten well-preserved prehistoric rock paintings.

Chauvet cave

A cave located near the commune of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, in the valley of the Ardèche River in southern France. Contains the earliest known and best preserved rock art in the world dating from the Aurignacian era (36,000 years ago). The cave was discovered on December 18, 1994 by three cavers - Eliette Brunel, Christian Hillaire and Jean-Marie Chauvet. The drawings in the cave depict various animals from the Ice Age.

Magura Cave

Magura is a cave located near the village of Rabisha in the Vidin region, Bulgaria. In the cave, bones of a cave bear, cave hyena and other animals were found. And on its walls you can see drawings from different historical periods. They mainly depict female figures, hunters, animals, plants, the sun and stars.

The find includes about 5,000 Aboriginal drawings on rocks in Kakadu National Park, Australia. Most of the paintings were created around 2000 years ago. Interestingly, they depict not only animals such as white sea bass, catfish, kangaroos, rock couscous and others, but also their bones (skeletons).

Tadrart-Acacus

Tadrart Acacus is a mountain range in the Ghat Desert in western Libya, part of the Sahara. The massif is known for its prehistoric rock art, which spans the period 12000 BC. e. - 100 AD e. and reflects the cultural and natural changes in the area. The drawings depict animals such as giraffes, elephants, ostriches, camels and horses, as well as people in various situations of daily life, such as dancing and playing musical instruments.

Serra da Capivara is a national park located in the northeastern part of Brazil in the eastern state of Piauí. The park contains many caves containing examples of prehistoric art. The drawings, in great detail, depict animals and trees, as well as hunting scenes. A well-known site in the park, Pedra Furada contains the oldest remnants of human activity on the continent that have significantly altered the idea of ​​American settlement. In order to preserve numerous prehistoric exhibits and drawings, the Brazilian government created this national park.

Lascaux Cave is located in the southwest of France and is famous for its rock paintings dating back to the Paleolithic period. The cave contains about 2,000 drawings, which can be grouped into three main categories: animals, human figures, and abstract signs. The cave is one of the places on the planet where you will not be allowed.

The Bhimbetka Rock Dwellings is an archaeological site of over 600 rock shelters located in Raisen District, Madhya Pradesh, India. These shelters contain the earliest traces of human activity in India; according to archaeologists, some of them could have been inhabited more than 100 thousand years ago. Most of the drawings are in red and white and depict animals such as crocodiles, lions, tigers and others.

Laas Gaal

Laas Gaal is a cave complex located on the outskirts of the city of Hargeisa in Somalia. Known for its well-preserved rock art. The drawings date back to the ninth - third millennium BC. e. and depict mostly cows, humans, giraffes, wolves, or dogs.

Altamira Cave is located near the city of Santillana del Mar, Cantabria in Spain. It was accidentally discovered in 1879 by amateur archaeologist Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola. This great archaeological discovery is known for its ancient rock paintings of the Upper Paleolithic era (35 - 12 thousand years ago), which depict bison, horses, wild boars, human palm prints and more.

Cueva de las Manos

Cueva de las Manos is a cave located in southern Argentina, in the province of Santa Cruz, in the Pinturas river valley. Known for archaeological and paleontological finds. First of all, these are rock paintings depicting human hands, the oldest of which date back to the ninth millennium BC. e. The left hands of teenage boys are depicted on the walls of the cave. This fact suggested that these images were part of an ancient rite. In addition to hands, the walls of the cave depict guanacos, rhea, cats and other animals, as well as hunting scenes for them.

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