Cave Drawing from 35,000 Years Ago
We have almost no information about humans from our first existence about 300,000 years ago. Because of this hole in our knowledge, religions fill in with their own self-serving history. They want us to give money and bow down to the history they have invented about the origin of the universe and of humans. The spoken and written word only came along only in the recent part of our 300,000 year history so religions can play their game.
Readers know there are some bits of writing that survived or later authors discussed what they had read. But the trail about what humans thought, what they talked about or their intellectual life in general gets thin 10,000 years ago. That is why there is a group of scholars from around the world who have a passion to find and study cave art.
Whatever is drawn in a cave, of course, came from the mind of the artist. A drawing is a form of writing and reveals something about the artist and the people he/she hung out with. When I started this blog the discovered cave art at that time was dated about 15,000 years ago. The most recent discovery in France is dated about 35,000 years ago.
The link tells us more than once scientists have not made interpretations about what the latest cave drawings mean. This leaves unqualified amateurs like those in religion license to make up their own meaning. It also gives license to the rest of us to toss in our own thoughts.
Cave drawings mostly feature animals. Some have had female humans who are half animal human. This cave had drawings of animals. I think it is a good bet that the artist had animals on his/her mind.
I think it is fun to contrast the animals on the mind of the prehistoric artist with the minds of artists in the West in current times and wonder what and why the artist's mind went there. Andy Worhol's tomato soup can comes to mind. If you can help me understand that feel free. Every year, maybe every day, someone draws a tree, flowers or a bowl of fruit. Maybe many enjoy drawing subjects they enjoy looking at or thinking about. Did Duante paint the Inferno because he enjoyed thinking about sinners burning?
Much is yet to be learned about us humans.
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