Solutrean paintings dated
Falk H. Koenemann
Geneste, Garcia, Arnold, Cachier & Tisneret-Labarde, v413, p479, 2001) new
14C-dates for paleolithic art are published. It seems that one paradigma of the
history of art is about to fall: that art started with simple techniques and
levels of achievement, and progressed to higher skills with time; because the
oldest known cave paintings are just as brilliant as the younger ones.
The dated material was in some cases charcoal from the paintings themselves, or
charcoal found nearby in the cave (not necessarily indicating an age at which a
painter was active, but at least giving evidence of a visitor in the cave),
and charcoal rubbed off from torches; these rubbed-off spots are on top of a
very fine calcite layer that had grown all over the paintings they give the age
of a visit, and a minimum age of the painting. The dates (uncalibrated ages in
1000 BP) are:
Gargas 26,9 piece of bone found in a crevasse,
presumably put in place during painting
Arcy sur Cure 26-28 charcoal mingled with ochre
Cougnac 23-25 charcoal from the paint of a red deer
Pech Merle 24,7 paint from a horse
Cosquer 13 paintings dated; of these
27-28 a few
18-20 all others; the same ages from charcoal
sampled from the floor
Chauvet 29,7-32,4 charcoal from paintings
27 torch rubbings on calcite layer over
painting
31,4 giant deer
in addition, charcoal from beneath a
bear skull yielded two ages of 26,
all others gave ages of 29-32
I think it's neat: they dated the growth of the calcite layer that covers the
paintings to within 2000 years. Also, it appears that the caves have been
visited only once in several thousand years. Which means that the cave
paintings
are not the tip of the iceberg of paleolithic art, but the uppermost inch of a
mile. All the practice that must have gone into developing the skill of the
artist must have been taken place outside, and visiting a cave was an event far
less common than the once-in-a-lifetime hadj to Mecca of a good muslim.
Falk H. Koenemann
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| Dr. Falk H. Koenemann Aachen, Germany |
| |
| Email: pere...@t-online.de Phone: *49-241-75885 |
| |
| URL: http://home.t-online.de/home/peregrine/hp-fkoe.htm |
| stress elasticity deformation of solids plasticity strain |
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| The rain, it raineth on the Just |
| And on the Unjust fella. |
| But chiefly on the Just because |
| The Unjust stole the Just's umbrella. |
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