Very different purposes for Paleolithic rock art

A recent study, carried out in Basque caves with rock art, such as Santimamiñe (Bizkaia), Ekain (Gipuzkoa) or Etxeberri (Zuberoa), suggests that the Paleolithic rock paintings in the area did not have the same purpose.

The study is the work of researchers from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and the University of Cantabria, in Spain.

The work is part of the doctoral thesis that Iñaki Intxaurbe is carrying out in the Department of Geology of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of the Basque Country, under the direction of professors and researchers Martin Arriolabengoa (University of the Basque Country) and Diego Garate (University of Cantabria).

Thanks to the combined use of computational methods, such as 3D technology, geographic information systems and multivariate statistics, researchers have been able to verify that the rock figures from the Magdalenian period (between 18,500 and 13,500 years ago) are grouped into four categories, according to its spatial and iconographic characteristics.

“Two groups seem antagonistic in terms of their function. While in some their staging was taken care of, suggesting a communicative purpose (they were made to be seen), in others the opposite was sought (they are hidden figures with very little visibility, located in remote areas and difficult to access). This suggests that in the second group only the execution was important, and not its understanding by society,” explain the authors of the study.

In the first group, “a shamanic explanation seems plausible: they are graphic manifestations made by adults (because they were placed on high canvases) in areas that favored their visibility, possibly accompanied by stories, since they are found in spaces that could accommodate an average number or great number of people.” The second group seems to respond to other reasons, such as rites of passage. “It is common to find these figures (the set of “hidden” figures) in areas closer to the ground, even when there were other possibilities. This could suggest juvenile individuals and children as its authors, coinciding with the information extracted from other contextual elements (prints of bare feet of children and adolescents, size of the strokes made with the fingers, etc.).”

Main panel of the Santimamiñe cave (Bizkaia) (Photo: Iñaki Intxaurbe)

Another set of figures is made up of engraved elements and sculptures made by the Magdalenian societies in clay, exclusive to the deep and most hidden areas of the caves. “Although its location in areas of difficult access may respond to conservation issues (the preservation of graphic elements as fragile as these seems more plausible in areas with difficult access), the fact that this pattern is repeated in caves sealed after their visit prehistoric (Erberua, La Garma, Fontanet, etc.) suggests that it was a premeditated and conscious cultural choice,” they continue.

The last group is made up of abstract signs, which seem to act differently from figurative rock art (representing animals and/or humans), appearing randomly throughout the decorated cave. The authors of the study highlight the need to include a greater number of this type of figures (present in caves such as Armintxe, El Pindal or Cullalvera) to establish valid statistical inferences.

“There is also a correlation between the techniques used and their location in the caves, perhaps to economize resources. In the areas closest to the entrances they spent more time making the figures, while in the deeper areas they preferred to make them quickly, perhaps to ensure fuel to return safely to the surface. These data support the existence of different uses for the deep sectors of the caves during the Magdalenian period,” conclude the authors of the study.

The study is titled “Drawing in the depths: spatial organization patterns related to Magdalenian cave”. And it has been published in the academic journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. (Source: UPV/EHU)