What did primitive people draw on rocks? What paints did ancient people use?

Cave or rock paintings are drawings that are found on the walls and ceilings of caves and rock surfaces. Made during the prehistoric period, the images date back to the Paleolithic era, approximately 40,000 years ago. Some scientists believe that cave paintings of primitive people are a way of communicating with the outside world. According to another theory, the drawings were applied for ceremonial or religious purposes.

History of discovery

In southwestern France and northern Spain, archaeologists have discovered more than 340 caves containing images from prehistoric times. Initially, the age of the paintings was a controversial issue, since the radiocarbon dating method could be inaccurate due to the dirty surfaces that were examined. But further development technologies made it possible to establish the exact period of drawing images on the walls.

The chronology can also be determined by the themes of the drawings. Thus, the reindeer depicted in the Cueva de Las cave, which is located in Spain, dates back to the end Ice Age. The earliest drawings in Europe were discovered in the Chauvet Cave in France. They appeared 30,000 BC. The surprise for scientists was that the images had been altered many times over thousands of years, which caused confusion in the subsidization of the drawings.

Painting in three stages

There are monochrome and polychrome cave paintings. Polychrome rock painting was created in three stages and depended entirely on the experience and cultural maturity of the artist, lighting, type of surface and available raw materials. At the first stage, the contours of the depicted animal were outlined using charcoal, manganese or hematite. The second stage involved completing the drawing and applying red ocher or another pigment to the image. At the third stage, contours were drawn in black to visually enlarge the image.

Subjects and themes

The most common subject in the cave paintings of primitive people is the image of large wild animals. At the beginning of the Stone Age, artists painted:

• Lviv;
• rhinoceroses;
• saber-toothed tigers;
• bears.

Images of animals hunted by people appear during the Late Paleolithic period. The image of a person is very a rare event and the pictures are less realistic than the painted figures of animals. IN primitive art There are no images of landscapes or landscapes.

Work of ancient artists

Prehistoric inhabitants of the planet discovered that paint made from animals and plants was not as stable as paint extracted from the earth. Over time, people have determined the property of iron oxides in the ground not to lose their original appearance. Therefore, they looked for hematite deposits and could walk tens of kilometers a day to bring the dye home. Modern scientists have discovered paths leading to deposits along which ancient craftsmen plied.

Using sea shells as a reservoir for paint, working by candlelight or weak daylight, prehistoric painters used a variety of painting techniques and techniques. At first they painted with their fingers, and then moved on to crayons, moss pads, animal hair brushes, and plant fibers. They used a more advanced method of spraying paint using reeds or bones with special holes.

Holes were made in the bird's bones and filled with red ocher. By studying the cave paintings of ancient people, scientists have determined that such devices were used 16,000 BC. In the Stone Age, artists also used the techniques of chiaroscuro and foreshortening. In each era, new painting methods appear and the caves are replenished with drawings made in new styles over many centuries. The ingenious works of prehistoric artists have inspired many modern masters to create beautiful works.

A long time ago, it was not the tires of cars and bicycles, nor even human feet shod in comfortable shoes that plowed the earth - a long time ago, the earth was the place of residence of ancient people. And although primitive man was not the rightful ruler of the prehistoric planet, in the distant future he was destined to take the main place on it. How to draw primitive man in a few steps - we'll look at it in this lesson.

1. To begin with, let’s designate the figure of our thug. Let's draw the outline of the head - it looks like a triangle with rounded edges. Let's draw the axes of the torso, arms and legs, not forgetting about the lines of the shoulders and hips.

Advice: notice that the right leg is in the front and slightly bent at the knee. This means that the axis with this leg will be larger (longer) and have a bend approximately in the middle.

1. In the contour of the head we will draw a rounded line, dividing the face from the mane of primitive man. Let’s use ovals to highlight the protruding places on the man’s body; with their help, it will be easier for us to draw the figure of a Neanderthal. Let us denote the boundaries of the body with two vertical lines.

Advice: The far leg is further away from the main figure, so its knee and foot will be positioned higher than the leg in the foreground.

1. And now - the most interesting part. Let's sculpt the figure of our ancient warrior, based on previously made outlines and looking at the photo of the original. Primitive man has a massive figure - strong arms and legs, a slightly sagging belly and overhanging chest, sloping cries. Moreover, the arms are longer than those of a modern person - and remind us of the arms of a monkey. For now we draw the feet in the form of trapezoids, expanding towards the toes.

On the Neanderthal’s face, we’ll use a line to indicate the overhanging forehead, draw the eyes, and outline the nose and mouth.

1. Let's erase all the auxiliary lines and start drawing the Neanderthal's face. A narrow forehead hangs over a large face, a shaggy arched eyebrow gives the face a menacing expression. Let's designate a high cheekbone. Under the big nose we draw a mustache and beard with strokes. We draw the hair on top - I ended up with something between Igor Nikolaev and Dzhigurda.

In the left hand we outline the axis of the large club. We will divide the tips of the feet with four lines - for drawing the fingers.

Let's warm the primitive man and put a loincloth on him. On the elbows, knees and stomach, we will outline the folds of the skin with strokes - to make the picture more realistic.

We remove unnecessary leg lines from the loincloth. Draw the toes on the feet. We “dress” the primitive man with body hair using light, small strokes. We also decorate the bear skin with hairs. Draw the baton along the previously drawn axis. The drawing of a primitive man is ready!

Rock art of Horseshoe Canyon, Utah, USA.

Similar ancient historical monuments are not concentrated somewhere in one place, but scattered throughout the planet. Petroglyphs were not found at the same time; sometimes the discoveries of different drawings are separated by significant periods of time.

At times, on the same rocks, scientists find drawings from different millennia. There are similarities between a variety of rock paintings, so it seems as if in ancient times there was a single ancestral culture and universal knowledge associated with it. Thus, many of the figures in the drawings have the same features, although their authors knew nothing about each other - they were separated by an enormous distance and time. However, the similarity in the images is systematic: in particular, the heads of the gods always emit light. Despite the fact that cave paintings have been studied for about 200 years, they still remain a mystery.

It is believed that the first images of mysterious creatures were rock paintings on Mount Hunan, China (picture above). They are about 47,000 years old. These drawings allegedly depict early contacts with unknown beings, possibly visitors from extraterrestrial civilizations.

These drawings were found in the Sera Da Capivara National Park in Brazil. Experts claim that the paintings were created about twenty-nine thousand years ago:

Interesting cave paintings dating back over 10,000 years were recently discovered in the state of Chhattisgarh, India:

This cave painting dates back to approximately 10,000 BC and is located in Val Camonica, Italy. The drawn figures look like two creatures wearing protective suits, and their heads emit light. They hold strange devices in their hands:

As following example You can cite a rock carving of a luminous man, which is located 18 km west of the city of Navoi (Uzbekistan). At the same time, a shining figure sits on a throne, and the figures standing near it wear something similar to protective masks on their faces. The kneeling man in the lower part of the picture does not have such a device - he is at a considerable distance from the luminous figure and, apparently, does not need such protection.

Tassilin Adjer (River Plateau) is the largest rock art site in the Sahara. The plateau is located in the southeastern part of Algeria. The oldest petroglyphs of Tassil-Adjer date back to the 7th millennium BC. And the latest - the 7th century AD. Drawings on the plateau were first noticed in 1909:

An image dating to approximately 600 BC, from Tassilin-Adjer. The drawing shows a creature with different eyes, a strange petal hairstyle and a shapeless figure. More than a hundred similar “gods” were found in caves:

These frescoes, found in the Sahara Desert, depict a humanoid creature in a spacesuit. Frescoes are 5 thousand years old:

Australia is isolated from the rest of the continents. However, on the Kimberley Plateau (northwest Australia) there are entire galleries of petroglyphs. And here all the same motifs are present: gods with similar faces and with a halo of rays around their heads. The drawings were first discovered in 1891:

These are images of Vandina, the goddess of the sky, in a halo of shining rays.

Rock art at Puerta del Canyon, Argentina:

Sego Canyon, Utah, USA. The most ancient petroglyphs appeared here more than 8,000 years ago:

"Skala-newspaper" there, in Utah:

"Alien", Arizona, USA:

California, USA:

Alien image. Kalbak-Tash, Altai, Russia:

"Sun Man" from the Karakol Valley, Altai:

Another of the many petroglyphs of the Italian Val Camonica valley in the Southern Alps:

Cave drawings Gobustan, Azerbaijan. Scientists date the oldest drawings to the Mesolithic era (about 10 thousand years ago:

Ancient rock paintings in Niger:

Onega petroglyphs at Cape Besov Nos, Russia. The most famous of the Onega petroglyphs is Bes, its length is two and a half meters. The image is crossed by a deep crack, dividing it exactly into two halves. A “gap” into another, otherworldly world. Within a kilometer radius of Bes, satellite navigation often fails. The clock also behaves unpredictably: it can run forward, it can stop. Scientists can only guess what this anomaly is connected with. Ancient figure cut Orthodox cross. Most likely, it was hollowed out on top of the demonic image by the monks of the Murom Monastery in the 15th–16th centuries. To neutralize the devil's power:

Petroglyphs of Tamgaly, Kazakhstan. Rock paintings abound in a variety of subjects, and the most common of them depict divine sun-headed creatures:

White Shaman Rock in the Lower Canyon, Texas. According to experts, the age of this seven-meter image is more than four thousand years. The White Shaman is believed to be hiding the secrets of an ancient vanished cult:

Rock paintings of giant people from South Africa:

Mexico. Veracruz, Las Palmas: cave paintings depicting creatures in spacesuits:

Rock paintings in the valley of the Pegtymel River, Chukotka, Russia:

The twin gods fight with battle axes. One of the petroglyphs found in Tanumschede, western Sweden (the drawings are painted red already in the modern period):

Among the petroglyphs on the Litsleby rock massif, a giant (2.3 m tall) image of a god with a spear (possibly Odin) dominates:

Sarmysh-say gorge, Uzbekistan. Numerous ancient rock paintings of people in strange clothes were found in the gorge, some of which can be interpreted as images of “ancient astronauts”:

Rock paintings of the Hopi Indians in Arizona, USA, depicting certain creatures - kachina. The Hopi considered these mysterious kachinas to be their heavenly teachers:

In addition, there are many ancient rock carvings solar symbols, or some objects resembling aircraft.

Rock paintings from San Antonio Cave, Texas, USA.

This ancient cave painting, discovered in Australia, depicts something very similar to a space alien ship. At the same time, the image may well mean something quite understandable.

Something resembling a rocket taking off. Kalbysh Tash, Altai.

Petroglyph depicting a UFO. Bolivia.

UFO from a cave in Chhattisgarh, India

Petroglyphs of Lake Onega depict cosmic, solar and moon signs: circles and semicircles with outgoing lines-rays, in which modern man both the radar and the spacesuit will clearly see. Moreover - TV.

Rock art, Arizona, USA

Petroglyphs of Panama

California, USA

Guanche rock paintings, Canary Islands

Ancient images of the mystical symbol of the spiral are found throughout the world. These cave paintings were once created by Indians in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, USA.

Rock art, Nevada, USA

One of the drawings discovered in a cave on the island of Youth, off the coast of Cuba. In it one can find great similarities with the structure solar system, where there is an image of eight planets with their largest satellites.

These petroglyphs are located in Pakistan, in the Indus River Valley:

Once upon a time, a highly developed Indian civilization existed in these places. It was from her that these ancient images carved on stones remained. Take a closer look - don't you think these are mysterious vimanas - flying chariots from ancient Indian myths?

The oldest cave paintings of primitive people were amazing images that were mainly drawn on stone walls. It is worth noting that in general, cave painting is unique. Today, perhaps, every person has identified from a video or photo that the rock paintings are deer, people with arrows, mammoths and much more. At that time, artists did not know such a thing as composition. Experts say that the animals that are depicted on rocks or other foundations are sacred animals, the ancestors of a clan, or one of the objects of veneration of a particular tribe.

There is an opinion that the cave paintings of primitive people are animals that were hunted by people of that time. IN in this case These drawings served as magical rituals, with the help of which hunters wanted to attract real animals during the hunt.

The main part of such paintings is located in the depths of caves - places that were considered a kind of sanctuary. If we talk about the Madeleine era, then this period became quite bright in the development of Paleolithic art. Most of these finds are located in the southwestern part of France, in the Pyrenees regions, as well as in the northwestern part of Spain.

Changes in the life of primitive people

After disappearing certain types animals, as well as due to climate change, the nature of the activities of people of that time changed significantly. For example, people
They stopped hunting and collecting food in the area less; they began to pay more attention to agriculture and cattle breeding. Changes also affected magical images, that is, the cave paintings of primitive people became different. People started doing rock paintings not in the depths of the caves, but on the contrary, closer to the exits and, in some cases, outside.

If we talk about the Paleolithic era, then it was almost impossible to find images of people here. Now the person is the main thing actor in the depicted space. The domestication of animals led to the fact that they began to be depicted next to people. For example, they were used to depict hunting scenes. In addition, people began to use a completely different technique of painting on rocks.

Basically, figures were depicted schematically using triangles and also straight lines. In addition, the images were monochrome. For example, artists of that time used black, red, orange, or white mineral paint. In addition to scenes of hunting, scenes of various ritual dances and battles began to appear on the rocks. And also scenes of grazing cattle. Murals of this type can be seen throughout Spain.

The first examples of sculpture

If we talk about the first examples of Neolithic sculpture, they were associated with the funeral cult: skulls, both human and animal, and much more. Images of naked women with large breasts and hips also became common. Rarely, pregnant women were also depicted.

The first monumental sculptures appeared in the southern part of Europe. Ceramics also appeared at that time. The first products were wicker bottles, as well as baskets, which were decorated with various ornaments.

It should be noted that historians, as well as archaeologists, are still engaged today active search rock carvings, of which, according to experts, there are still many. The most common rock carvings are images of deer, tigers, mammoths, and horses. It is no secret that today the cave paintings of primitive people evoke a large number of controversial issues among a large number of historians and archaeologists.

Video: Cave paintings of ancient people

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All over the world, speleologists in deep caves are finding confirmation of the existence of ancient people. Rock paintings have been perfectly preserved for many millennia. There are several types of masterpieces - pictograms, petroglyphs, geoglyphs. Important monuments of human history are regularly included in the World Heritage Register.

Usually on the walls of caves there are common subjects, such as hunting, battle, images of the sun, animals, human hands. People in ancient times attached sacred meaning to paintings; they believed that they were helping themselves in the future.

Images were applied using various methods and materials. For artistic creativity animal blood, ocher, chalk and even bat guano were used. Special view paintings - hewn paintings, they were knocked out in stone using a special chisel.

Many caves have not been sufficiently studied and are limited in visiting, while others, on the contrary, are open to tourists. However, most of the precious cultural heritage disappears unattended, unable to find her researchers.

Below is a short excursion into the world of the most interesting caves with prehistoric rock paintings.

Magura Cave, Bulgaria

It is famous not only for the hospitality of its residents and the indescribable flavor of the resorts, but also for its caves. One of them, with the sonorous name Magura, is located north of Sofia, near the town of Belogradchik. The total length of the cave galleries is more than two kilometers. The halls of the cave are colossal in size, each of them is about 50 meters wide and 20 meters high. The pearl of the cave is a rock painting made directly on the surface covered with bat guano. The paintings are multi-layered; there are a number of paintings from the Paleolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age periods. In the drawings of the ancients homo sapiens Figures of dancing village women, hunters, many strange animals, and constellations are depicted. The sun, plants, and tools are also represented. Here begins the story of the festivities of the ancient era and the solar calendar, scientists assure.

Cueva de las Manos Cave, Argentina

The cave with the poetic name Cueva de las Manos (from Spanish - “Cave of Many Hands”) is located in the province of Santa Cruz, exactly one hundred miles from the nearest settlement - the city of Perito Moreno. The rock painting art in the 24 meter long and 10 meter high hall dates back to the 13th to 9th millennia BC. Amazing picture on limestone it is a three-dimensional canvas decorated with traces of hands. Scientists have built a theory about how the amazingly clear and clear handprints turned out. Prehistoric people took a special composition, then put it in their mouths, and through a tube they blew it forcefully onto a hand attached to the wall. In addition, there are stylized images of humans, rheas, guanacos, cats, geometric shapes with ornaments, the process of hunting and observing the sun.

Bhimbetka cliff dwellings, India

Enchanting offers tourists not only the delights of oriental palaces and charming dances. In north central India there are huge rock formations of weathered sandstone with many caves. Ancient people once lived in natural shelters. About 500 dwellings with traces of human habitation remain in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The Indians named the rock dwellings Bhimbetka (after the hero of the Mahabharata epic). The art of the ancients here dates back to the Mesolithic era. Some of the paintings are insignificant, and some of the hundreds of images are very typical and striking. 15 rock masterpieces are available for contemplation by those who wish. Mainly, patterned ornaments and battle scenes are depicted here.

Serra da Capivara National Park, Brazil

Both rare animals and venerable scientists find shelter in the Serra da Capivara National Park. And 50 thousand years ago, our distant ancestors found shelter here in caves. Presumably, this is the oldest community of hominids in South America. The park is located near the town of San Raimondo Nonato, in the central part of the state of Piaui. Experts have counted more than 300 archaeological sites here. The main surviving images date back to 25-22 millennium BC. The most amazing thing is that extinct bears and other paleofauna are painted on the rocks.

Laas Gaal cave complex, Somaliland

The Republic of Somaliland recently separated from Somalia in Africa. Archaeologists in this area are interested in the Laas Gaal cave complex. Here you can see rock paintings from the 8th-9th and 3rd millennium BC. On the granite walls of majestic natural shelters scenes of life and everyday life of the nomadic people of Africa are depicted: the process of grazing livestock, ceremonies, playing with dogs. The local population does not attach importance to the drawings of their ancestors, and uses the caves, as in the old days, for shelter during the rain. Many of the studies have not been properly studied. In particular, problems arise with the chronological reference of masterpieces of Arab-Ethiopian ancient rock paintings.

Rock art of Tadrart Acacus, Libya

Not far from Somalia, in Libya, there are also rock paintings. They are much earlier, dating back almost to the 12th millennium BC. The last of them were applied after the birth of Christ, in the first century. It is interesting to observe, following the drawings, how the fauna and flora changed in this area of ​​the Sahara. First we see elephants, rhinoceroses and fauna typical of a rather humid climate. Also interesting is the clearly visible change in the lifestyle of the population - from hunting to sedentary cattle breeding, then to nomadism. To reach Tadrart Akakus, you need to cross the desert east of the city of Ghat.

Chauvet Cave, France

In 1994, while walking, by chance, Jean-Marie Chauvet discovered the cave that later became famous. She was named after the speleologist. In the Chauvet Cave, in addition to traces of the life activity of ancient people, hundreds of wonderful frescoes were discovered. The most amazing and beautiful of them depict mammoths. In 1995, the cave became a state monument, and in 1997, 24-hour surveillance was introduced here to prevent damage to the magnificent heritage. Today, in order to take a look at the incomparable rock art of the Cro-Magnons, you need to obtain special permission. In addition to mammoths, there is something to admire; here on the walls there are handprints and fingerprints of representatives of the Aurignacian culture (34-32 thousand years BC)

Kakadu National Park, Australia

In fact, the famous Cockatoo parrot is the name of the Australian national park it does not matter. The Europeans simply mispronounced the name of the Gaagudju tribe. This nation is now extinct, and there is no one to correct the ignorant. The park is home to Aboriginal people who have not changed their way of life since the Stone Age. For thousands of years, Indigenous Australians have been involved in rock painting. Pictures were painted here already 40 thousand years ago. Besides religious scenes and hunting, here are stylized stories in drawings about useful skills (educational) and magic (entertaining). Among the animals depicted are the extinct marsupial tigers, catfish, and barramundi. All the wonders of the Arnhem Land plateau, Colpignac and the southern hills are located 171 km from the city of Darwin. in the 35th millennium BC, it was the early Paleolithic. They left strange rock paintings in the Altamira cave. Artistic artifacts on the walls of the huge cave date back to both the 18th and 13th millennia. IN last period Interesting are the polychrome figures, the unique combination of engraving and painting, and the acquisition of realistic details. The famous bison, deer and horses, or rather, their beautiful images on the walls of Altamira, often end up in textbooks for middle school students. The Altamira Cave is located in the Cantabria region.

Lascaux Cave, France

Lascaux is not just a cave, but a whole complex of small and large cave halls located in the south of France. Not far from the caves is the legendary village of Montignac. The paintings on the cave walls were painted 17 thousand years ago. And to this day they amaze with their amazing forms, akin to contemporary art graffiti. Scholars especially value the Hall of the Bulls and the Palace Hall of the Cats. It’s easy to guess what prehistoric creators left there. In 1998 rock masterpieces I was almost destroyed by mold caused by an improperly installed air conditioning system. And in 2008, Lascaux was closed to preserve more than 2,000 unique drawings.