Neanderthal cave art and food collection

[Tom 1]

Absract art and mollusc shells found in cave under the rock of Gibraltar seem to indicate complex behaviours among Neanderthals:

40,000-year-old sealed cavern gives new insight into Neanderthal life

Early art seems to have links to brain structures and ritual practices to do with hunting and interactions with the 'spirit world'. What does anyone think drove the very first attempts at representing things, impressions, feelings or whatever in art? I suppose we take that impulse for granted now, but how/why did it first appear?

 

[Job 33:6]

Absract art and mollusc shells found in cave under the rock of Gibraltar seem to indicate complex behaviours among Neanderthals:

40,000-year-old sealed cavern gives new insight into Neanderthal life

Early art seems to have links to brain structures and ritual practices to do with hunting and interactions with the 'spirit world'. What does anyone think drove the very first attempts at representing things, impressions, feelings or whatever in art? I suppose we take that impulse for granted now, but how/why did it first appear?

There was probably a need or demand for it. I think of the few times I've traveled internationally and I've wanted to express an idea to someone who didn't speak my language. One thing I was able to do is I could draw a picture or point at an object to express my thoughts. Then once people collectively understand images, then they could begin to artistically draw them to tell stories or to share ideas about rituals etc.

Also, chimps have been known to teach eachother sign language out of necessity of communication within their "tribes". Orangutans speak with use of imagery as well (human originally taught of course). So combine the two and you have a demand to teach one another information with use of imagery out of necessity for order, peace, survival and ease of communication.

And so once mankind has the tools to conduct these acts, and the brain/mind to understand them, it naturally follows.

 

[Tom 1]

There was probably a need or demand for it. I think of the few times I've traveled internationally and I've wanted to express an idea to someone who didn't speak my language. One thing I was able to do is I could draw a picture or point at an object to express my thoughts. Then once people collectively understand images, then they could begin to artistically draw them to tell stories or to share ideas about rituals etc.

Also, chimps have been known to teach eachother sign language out of necessity of communication within their "tribes". Orangutans speak with use of imagery as well (human originally taught of course). So combine the two and you have a demand to teach one another information with use of imagery out of necessity for order, peace, survival and ease of communication.

And so once mankind has the tools to conduct these acts, and the brain/mind to understand them, it naturally follows.

Interesting.

 

[Estrid]

Absract art and mollusc shells found in cave under the rock of Gibraltar seem to indicate complex behaviours among Neanderthals:

40,000-year-old sealed cavern gives new insight into Neanderthal life

Early art seems to have links to brain structures and ritual practices to do with hunting and interactions with the 'spirit world'. What does anyone think drove the very first attempts at representing things, impressions, feelings or whatever in art? I suppose we take that impulse for granted now, but how/why did it first appear?

Various animals do a wide variety of visual or
auditory signals, abstract representation of
information, if you like.

It does not seem like a huge leap for someone to
make marks to represent something.

Maybe charcoal marks on a case wall to
indicate " I was here while you were out`.

 

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

Representations can have symbolic power as abstractions of what is represented, and they can also have narrative power. So, a representation of a prey animal can be a focus of spiritual appeals for those animals to be plentiful or a focus of apology for killing them, and a hunting scene can be a narrative of great deeds, either past or to come.

But the article doesn't describe representations, only 'abstract rock engravings', which could be anything.